Zippy’s Friends is a universal school-based intervention for children between the ages of 5 and 7 years old. The intervention is designed to promote the mental health and emotional wellbeing of all young children by increasing their repertoire of coping skills and by stimulating varied and flexible ways of coping with problems in day-to-day life. Zippy’s friends is 24 sessions each 45 minutes long, split into six modules, each covering a different theme. Children develop their own positive strategies to deal with problems through engaging activities: listening to stories, discussion, games, role-play, and drawing.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
6 to 8 years old
Group
Child outcomes:
UK available
UK tested
Zippy’s Friends is a universal school-based group intervention targeting child between 5 to 7 years of age. The intervention is designed to promote the mental health and emotional wellbeing of all young children through developing children’s coping skills. Children develop their own positive strategies to deal with problems through engaging activities: listening to stories, discussion, games, role-play, and drawing. Zippy’s friends is a 24-week course, split into six modules (one module is made up of four sessions, each 45 minutes). Each module covers a different theme, including:
Zippy’s Friends is based on six stories about three cartoon characters, their families, and friends, and the pet stick insect Zippy.
At the beginning of each module, teachers will read out a story about Zippy and his friends and pause at several points to ask the children questions about how the characters are feeling. Selected extracts are read in each of the following sessions.
Children then engage in a variety of games, activities, role playing, and discussion to further reflect on what has been learned.
Over the course of 24 weekly lessons, children explore themes related to emotions, communication, relations, and conflict resolution through the many day-to-day problems, sorrows, and joys experienced by Zippy and his friends.
There is an additional parenting component to the intervention. Parents can attend information sessions and receive a guide to the intervention which allows them to be aware of what the intervention is covering, and what their children are learning. Home activities are sent home after each module.
5 to 7 years old
Children aged 5 to 7 years old.
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
Children with a wider range of coping mechanisms have fewer mental health problems, and increased academic attainment.
Science-based assumption
All children and adults face difficulties and stressful situations, the impact of which are exacerbated without effective coping mechanisms.
Science-based assumption
Young children need to learn varied coping mechanisms to be able to choose what to apply to situations as they grow and develop
School-based mental health interventions can support children’s social and emotional functioning and attainment.
Intervention
The intervention teaches children to come up with different ways of dealing with various situations and to judge for themselves what may happen if they cope in certain ways.
Short-term
Enhanced coping skills:
Children can think of a larger number of coping skills and are better equipped to use them more often in ‘real’ daily situations.
Increase in use of coping strategies such as asking for and accepting help.
Reduced stress symptoms.
Medium-term
Improved relationships and experiences
Increased child wellbeing
Increased child social skills
Improved school environment – reductions in bullying
Improved behaviours to support educational attainment.
Long-term
Improved mental health and wellbeing in adolescence and adulthood
Improved academic attainment.
Children aged 5 to 7 years old.
Zippy’s Friends is delivered in 24 sessions of 45 to 60 minutes’ duration each by one teacher practitioner, to groups of children.
Zippy’s Friends is based on six stories about three cartoon characters, their families, and friends, and the pet stick insect Zippy.
At the beginning of each module, teachers will read out a story about Zippy and his friends and pause at several points to ask the children questions about how the characters are feeling. Selected extracts are read in each of the following sessions.
Children then engage in a variety of games, activities, role playing, and discussion to further reflect on what has been learned.
Over the course of 24 weekly lessons, children explore themes related to emotions, communication, relations, and conflict resolution through the many day-to-day problems, sorrows, and joys experienced by Zippy and his friends.
There is an additional parenting component to the intervention. Parents can attend information sessions and receive a guide to the intervention which allows them to be aware of what the intervention is covering, and what their children are learning. Home activities are sent home after each module.
Teacher
The teachers have six hours of intervention training. Booster training of practitioners is not required.
It is recommended that practitioners are supervised by one external supervisor with 7 to 12 hours of intervention training.
Intervention fidelity is maintained through the following processes:
Contact person: Hannah Baker
Organisation: Partnership for Children
Email address: info@partnershipforchildren.org.uk
Website/s: https://www.partnershipforchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/programmes-for-schools/zippys-friends/
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
Zippy’s Friends’ most rigorous evidence comes from three cluster RCTs which were conducted in the UK, Ireland, and Norway consistent with Foundations’ Level 2+ evidence strength threshold. The intervention has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome, but we cannot be confident that the intervention caused the improvement.
These studies identified statistically significant positive impact on teacher reported child outcomes, including supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, their academic skills and self-regulated learning, and class-level reductions in bullying. Children and parents also reported improvements in coping strategies.
| Identified in search | 12 |
| Studies reviewed | 3 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 3 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 0 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 9 |
| Study design | Cluster RCT |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sample characteristics | 766 children (aged 7 to 8 years old) across 52 classes, in 44 disadvantaged schools |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | Not reported |
| Population risk factors | Disadvantaged schools (disadvantaged status by the Department of Education and Skills) |
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes | Improved emotional literacy, including improved self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and social skills (teacher report) |
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 2+ |
| Citations | Clarke, A. M., Bunting, B. & Barry, M. M. (2014) Evaluating the implementation of a school-based emotional well-being intervention: A cluster randomized controlled trial of Zippy’s Friends for children in disadvantaged primary schools. Health Education Research. 29 (5), 786–798. |
| Study design | Cluster RCT |
| Country | Norway |
| Sample characteristics | 1,483 children (aged 7 to 8 years old) from 91 2nd-Grade classes in 35 schools |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | 97% Caucasian |
| Population risk factors | None reported |
| Timing | Pre-intervention and post-intervention |
| Child outcomes | Post-intervention
|
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 2+ |
| Citations | Study 2a: Holen, S. et al. (2012) The effectiveness of a universal school-based intervention on coping and mental health: A randomised, controlled study of Zippy’s Friends. Educational Psychology. 32 (5), 657–677. Study 2b: Holen, S. et al. (2012) Implementing a universal stress management program for young school children: Are there classroom climate or academic effects? Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. 57 (4), 420–444. |
| Study design | Cluster RCT |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sample characteristics | 3,904 children between the ages of 6 and 7 |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | Not reported |
| Population risk factors | Some participants were eligible for free school meals (17% in the intervention group, 13% in the control group), and some spoke English as an additional language (21% in the intervention group, 16% in control) |
| Timing | Pre-intervention and post-intervention |
| Child outcomes | Improved self-regulated learning |
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 2+ |
| Citations | Sloan, S., Gildea, A., Miller, S. & Thurston, A. (2018) Zippy’s Friends: Evaluation report and executive summary. Queens University Belfast. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Clarke, A. M. (2011) An evaluation of Zippy’s Friends, an emotional wellbeing programme for children in primary schools (Doctoral thesis, University of Ireland, Galway).
Clarke, A. M. & Barry, M. M. (2010) An evaluation of the Zippy’s Friends emotional wellbeing programme for primary schools in Ireland. Health Promotion Research Centre, National University of Ireland, Galway.
Dufour, S., Denoncourt, J. & Mishara, B. L. (2011) Improving children’s adaptation: New evidence regarding the effectiveness of Zippy’s Friends, a school mental health promotion program. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion. 4 (3), 18–28.
Holmes, D. & Faupel, A. (2004) Zippy’s friends: Southampton Evaluation Report year 1. Southampton Psychology Service.
Holmes, D., & Faupel, A. (2005). Zippy’s friends: Southampton Evaluation Report year 2. Southampton Psychology Service
Mishara, B. L. & Ystgaard, M. (2006) Effectiveness of a mental health promotion program to improve coping skills in young children: Zippy’s Friends. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 21 (1), 110–123.
Monkeviciené, O., Mishara, B. L. & Dufour, S. (2006) Effects of the Zippy’s Friends Programme on children’s coping abilities during the transition from kindergarten to elementary school. Early Childhood Education Journal. 34 (1), 53–60.
Rodker, J. D. (2013). Promoting social-emotional development of children during kindergarten: A Zippy’s Friends program evaluation. Pace University
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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