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Zippy’s Friends is a social and emotional learning programme for 5-7 year olds which meets all elements of the Mental Wellbeing requirements of the statutory guidance for Relationships and Health Education for primary schools.

Zippy's Friends for 5-7 year olds

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. Zippy’s Friends was revised and updated in 2022 based on teacher feedback to include new activities enabling schools to run the programme over two years. There are also updated story illustrations created by illustrator Lisa Williams to give the programme a fresh, new modern look.

Staff who would like to deliver the Zippy’s Friends programme need to complete an online training session and purchase a subscription to the Zippy’s Friends resources on the Skills for Life online teaching platform.

Take a look at our other programmes:

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Children are far more able to talk about their own feelings. Conflicts in the playground are fewer. They form friendships much easier and we have had lots of positive feedback from parents'.

UK Teacher

Online Training

Interactive training includes:

  • Philosophy and theory behind each programme
  • Programme concepts and implications for children’s wellbeing
  • Structure and content of each programme and the materials used to deliver it
  • How to use the programmes as part of a whole school approach to mental wellbeing

International Partners

The Skills for Life programmes run in a wide variety of countries and cultures across the globe. Our partner organisations range widely in size and character, from government departments and large NGOs to small voluntary agencies and academic institutions.

See whether your country is one of our Licensed Partners.

FREE Wellbeing Activities

These FREE wellbeing activities for schools, children and families are based on the Skills for Life programmes. The activities are designed to help children process feelings, communicate effectively, cope with their anxieties and difficulties and deal with change and loss. Activities can be downloaded and adapted for younger or older children and children with SEND.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes for the six modules in Zippy’s Friends:

To improve children’s abilities to recognise different emotions and to identify strategies to cope with difficult feelings.

Session 1 - Feeling sad – feeling happy

To improve children’s abilities to recognise feeling sad and to identify ways to cope.

Session 2 - Feeling angry or annoyed

To improve children’s abilities to recognise feelings of anger and annoyance and to identify ways to cope with these feelings.

Session 3 - Feeling jealous

To improve children’s abilities to identify jealousy and to learn ways to cope with this feeling.

Session 4 - Feeling nervous

To improve children’s abilities to recognise feeling nervous and to identify ways to cope with difficult feelings.

To improve children’s abilities to communicate their feelings and listen to other people.

Session 1 - Improving communication

To improve children’s abilities to recognise effective and ineffective ways of expressing how they feel.

Session 2 - Listening

To improve children’s abilities to listen to other people.

Session 3 - Who can help us?

To improve children’s abilities to ask for help.

Session 4 - Saying what we want to say

To improve children’s abilities to communicate their feelings and listen to other people.

To improve children’s abilities to make friends and to cope with rejection and loneliness.

Session 1 - How to be a good friend

To improve children’s abilities to be a good friend.

Session 2 - Dealing with loneliness and rejection

To improve children’s abilities to cope with loneliness and rejection.

Session 3 - How to resolve conflicts with friends

To improve children’s abilities to resolve conflicts with their friends.

Session 4 - How to make friends

To improve children’s abilities to make friends.

To improve children’s abilities to solve problems.

Session 1 - How to recognise helpful solutions

To increase children’s abilities to recognise characteristics of a helpful solution.

Session 2 - Dealing with bullying

To improve children’s abilities to deal with situations involving bullying.

Session 3 - Solving problems

To improve children’s abilities to solve problems, particularly when they are angry.

Session 4 - Helping others solve problems

To improve children’s abilities to help others solve problems.

To improve children’s abilities to cope with change and loss.

Session 1 - Change and loss are part of life

To increase children’s understanding that change and loss are part of normal everyday experiences.

Session 2 - Coping with death

To increase children’s understanding that death is a normal part of life, and to improve their abilities to cope with situations involving grief and loss.

Session 3 - Honouring those who have died

To improve children’s abilities to talk about death and loss.

Session 4 - Learning from change and loss

To improve children’s understanding that change an loss can have positive effects.

To improve children’s abilities to use a variety of coping strategies in different situations.

Session 1 - Different ways to cope

To improve children’s abilities to use different coping strategies.

Session 2 - How to help others

To improve children’s abilities to help others cope with different situations.

Session 3 - Adapting to new situations

To improve children’s abilities to apply their coping skills to new situations.

Session 4 - Celebrating together

To review what we have learned during Zippy’s Friends and to celebrate together.

Frequently asked questions

Subscription costs are dependant on the size of the school or setting. Please see the costs for UK schools here.

Yes! Our Skills for Life programmes support the mental health and wellbeing of vulnerable children through whole class, small group or 1:1 interventions. Young Carer Services, Virtual Schools, or other organisations working with vulnerable children who are interested in implementing our Skills for Life programmes should contact us to discuss further.

Yes! Read more about our work with English speaking international schools.