Effects of the Zippy's Friends Programme on Children's Coping Abilities during the Transition from Kindergarten to Elementary School

This article explores the effects of participation during kindergarten in "Zippy's Friends," a 24-week school-based programme to help young people better cope with everyday adversities, on their adaptation to first grade. The experimental group consisted of 140 children in the first year of primary school who had participated in the "Zippy's Friends" programme the preceding year when they attended a kindergarten in a different school. Results show that, compared to a control group of 106 children, participation in "Zippy's Friends" is related to better adaptation to the transition from kindergarten to first grade. The experimental group was higher in behavioral and emotional adaptation to school, had more positive reactions to the new school environment and used more appropriate and more diversified coping strategies, when compared with the control group. The discussion explores why "Zippy's Friends" may be related to better adaptation to transition from kindergarten to first grade.