Summary
Zippy’s Friends is based on the coping theory and has been evaluated and found to improve children’s coping skills, social skills, emotional literacy, improve the class climate and reduce bullying. Read about the evidence behind Zippy’s Friends and the impact the programme has had on children and teachers.
Zippy’s Friends is based around a series of stories and the programme has 24 sessions of 45 minutes. The activities and stories are suitable for children of all abilities. The Additional Activities Booklet can be used as a follow-on programme to run Zippy’s Friends for a second year or to reinforce and consolidate the learning of the programme. There are also Home Activities to reinforce learning at home with parents and carers.
The six modules cover: Feelings, Communication, Friendship, Conflict, Change and Loss, Moving forward
Children develop their own positive strategies to deal with problems through engaging activities: listening to stories, discussion, games, role-play and drawing.
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Zippy’s Friends provides strategies for customizing for context. This includes indications within the lesson plans of places where teachers may need to pay special attention to children’s lived experience.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
Elementary (K-5)
Setting
Classroom, Schoolwide, Home
Language
English, Spanish, Additional Languages
Cost
Pricing available through provider
# Lessons
24
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Technology Requirements
Staff need to complete online training session; subscription to online teaching platform required
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required
Professional Development
Onsite In-Person, Virtual, Offsite, Train the Trainer
Outcomes
Improved SEL skills and attitudes
Reduced Emotional Distress
Improved Identity Development/ Agency
Improved Academic Performance
Reduced Problem Behavior
Improved School Climate
Improved School Connectedness
Improved Prosocial Behavior
Improved Teaching Practices
Improved SEL Skills and Attitude
Evidence of Effectiveness
The purpose of this study was to evaluate Zippy’s Friends, a universal school programme that aims at strengthening children’s coping skills. The sample consisted of 1483 children (aged 7–8 years) from 91 second-grade classes in 35 schools. The schools were matched and randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Coping was assessed by the Kidcope checklist for children and an adapted version for parents. Parents and teachers reported mental health outcomes using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Controlling for the hierarchical structure of the data, latent variable regression analysis indicated that the programme had a significant positive effect on coping and on the impact of mental health difficulties in daily life. Subgroup analyses suggested that coping was improved in girls and children from the low socio-economic subgroup, whereas the impact of mental health difficulties was reduced in boys.
Published Studies
Refer to the provided CASEL for the most up-to-date published studies.
Holen, S., Waaktaar, T., Lervåg, A., & Ystgaard, M. (2012). The effectiveness of a universal school-based programme on coping and mental health: A randomised, controlled study of Zippy’s Friends. Educational Psychology, 32(5), 657-677.