Incredible Years Child Training Series

The Dinosaur Social Skills and Problem Solving curriculum is a child training curriculum that strengthens children's social, emotional and academic competencies such as understanding and communicating feelings, using effective problem solving strategies, managing anger, practicing friendship and conversational skills, as well as appropriate classroom behaviors.

The child training program can be used by counselors or therapists to treat "difficult" and highly aggressive children in small groups or can be used by teachers as a prevention program for an entire classroom of students.

The Dinosaur Child Training Program includes:

• Making New Friends and Learning School Rules
• Understanding & Detecting Feelings
• Detective Wally Teaches Problem Solving Steps
• Tiny Turtle teaches Anger Management
• Molly Manners Teaches How to be Friendly
• Molly Explains How to Talk with Friends
• Dina Dinosaur Teaches How to Do Your Best in School

Dina Dinosaur Child Training Programs (Small Group Therapy)

This treatment program is delivered in 2-hour weekly small group sessions (6 children/group) lasting 18-20 weeks. Ideally it is offered in conjunction with the 2-hour weekly parent group sessions. Group leaders explain to parents ways they can foster their children’s learning in Dinosaur School in their interactions with them at home.

Dina Dinosaur Classroom Curriculum (Prevention)

This curriculum is delivered 2-3 times a week by teachers in the classroom. It consists of 20-30 minute circle time lessons, followed by small group practice activities and promotion of skills throughout the school day. Program also includes letters to be sent home to parents with suggestions for home activities parents can do with their children. These activities reinforce the classroom learning and promote parent involvement.

Preschool/Kindergarten, or Primary Grades versions. These two programs include:

• 3 DVDs (4 hours)
• Comprehensive therapist  manual or teacher lesson plan manuals (specify treatment or prevention)
• Wally's Feeling Wheel
• Wally's detective problem solving books for children (4)
• Wally's Detective Manual for home activities (Also available in Spanish)
• Wally's "Solution" Detective Kit. 47 laminated and colored cue cards for teaching social skills, anger management and problem solving concepts
• Letters to teachers and parents for each program
• Stickers - 6 types (reflecting anger management, social skills and problem solving)
• Black and white refrigerator pictures of key concepts for children to take home (reproducible)
• Parent assignments for home activities

Supplemental Vignettes for Dinosaur Curriculum

Updated in 2006 with new topics and vignettes.

Some of topics covered in the 53 vignettes:

• Talking about rules
• Calming down in Time Out
• Social skills such as trading, taking turns, asking, ignoring, using friendly words, complimenting, sharing, helping, teamwork, being a good sport
• Emotional regulation strategies such as waiting, taking 3 deep breaths, going in your shell, problem solving, and getting teacher’s help for hitting

Revised protocols and a manual show you how these vignettes can be used as part of a small group treatment program or classroom curriculum.

Experts in Action: Child Program Sessions

Three sets of Experts in Action sessions for teachers and group leaders

These sample sessions are for group leaders/teachers who have received the initial training workshop for the Dinosaur Program will find these tapes an invaluable resource for furthering their group leadership skills. These tapes can be used for self-study or viewed with other group leaders and used as a trigger for discussion of group leadership skills.

Learn more and view video clips of the Experts in Action

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