1. Zippy’s Friends
Teaching children resilience and coping skills for life
Caroline Egar, Partnership for Children
Marion Panis, Stichting Kids en Emotionele Competenties

4. What is Zippy’s Friends?
•school-based programme for 6 – 7 year-olds
•Taught by the class teacher, specially trained
• Teaches children better social skills, and how to cope
with difficulties

5. What is coping?

6. What is coping?
cry become
violent
go to bed
go shopping
watch
television
shout at
someone
kick the dog
get drunk
pretend nothing’s
wrong
eat chocolate
tell a friend
exercise
say nothing
get angry
ask for help

7. What is coping?
• What we do to make a bad situation better
or to make us feel better about the situation
Coping is...

8. What is coping?
Coping strategies should...
• Improve the situation or make us feel
better - or both
• Not harm us or anyone else
Coping strategies should...

10. Coping strategies should...
6 modules, 24 sessions:
• Feelings
• Communication
• Friendship
• Conflict resolution
• Change and loss
• Making a new start

11. Coping strategies should...

12. Coping strategies should...

13. Coping strategies should...

16. Results:
•Increased coping skills
•Increased emotional literacy
•Increased academic achievement
•Improved class climate and relationships
•Reduced bullying and hyperactivity

19. Whole school approach

20. Activity:
‘I know what to do when I have difficult feelings’
•Sad
•Angry/annoyed
•Jealous
•Nervous

21. Zippy’s Friends Netherlands
• Stichting KEC – licence holder Netherlands
• Pilot 2009: 12 schools, 27 classes, 600 children
• Process evaluation

22. Results process evaluation:
• clear instructions and materials
• teachers and children positive
• mixed classes 4 and 5 years (17 out of 27) > a
challenge

23. Coping strategies should...

24. Zippy Netherlands 2014:
• 52 schools
• 2000 children
• demand for whole school approach

25. Trimbos-institute RCT
• started in 2012
• 30 schools, 60 classes, 1200 children
• children from low SES families only
• results expected: May 2015

26. Preventing bullying NL
• preparation of anti-bullying legislation
• list of 13 anti-bullying programmes
• choice obligatory for schools
• Zippy’s Friends on the list