
Learning to socialize with Minipally
Minipally is a social skills training program for children ages 0 to 5 years old. It aims to develop basic social skills, communication and emotional expression, self-control and problem-solving.
About
Minipally has been implemented in Quebec since 1997. Nearly 30 years later, more than 250,000 children have benefited from the joyful and energetic little mouse’s visits. Children love the stories of Minipally and his friends, which feature social situations they experience in their daily lives. This makes Minipally an ideal role model, facilitating the integration of new skills acquired during the program.
The benefits of this program have already been established by implementation evaluations conducted by the academic community between 2008 and 2010 and between 2019 and 2022.
Activities
Thanks to the fun workshops and reinvestment activities offered, children will have the opportunity to learn new social skills and practice them in a caring, positive environment while respecting their developmental pace.

Minipally is:
1
17 workshops divided into 4 themes: making contact, emotions, self-control, and problem solving
2
The visit of a endearing little mouse who serves as a social learning model for children
3
A long-term effective intervention to reduce violence and social rejection


Training courses
Minipally – Basic training
Basic training is mainly intended for educators and educational counselors in childcare settings. Managers are also invited to join the training, as experience has shown that their presence contributes to successful implementation.
The goal of this training is to equip professionals working with children (ages 0 to 5 years old) to help them implement the program.
This 12-hour training is offered over two non-consecutive days, or in 4 blocks of 3 hours, to enable implementation to begin. The material is not included in the cost of training.
At the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the fundamental theories supporting the Minipally program and its implementation methods.
- Understand the successful implementation conditions of the program.
- Understand which educational attitudes to promote.
- Better support children in managing their emotions, developing self-control and solving their problems.
Minipally – The update
The Minipally program’s update gives preschool educators and teachers a space to:
- Refresh their memory on the Minipally approach
- Revisit the essence of some workshops
- Rediscover their motivation for leading
- Discover new educational products and program materials
This training course is 3 hours long. As needed, an additional 3 hours of guidance can be added in the form of supervision to answer participants’ questions and allow them to discuss different aspects of their individual and collective experiences leading with the facilitator.
Minipally – for toddlers
Training for toddlers is intended for educators of children two years and younger who have already taken the basic training and who wish to develop further with this complementary adaptation to the Minipally program. This 3-hour training course can be viewed as a refresher and is not required for obtaining the associated supplementary guide.
Minipally for littles ones is a tool for awakening and raising awareness of social skills. The workshops in the program take into consideration the attention span and the sensorimotor needs of infants and toddlers. Daycare is a privileged place of social learning for young children who, between the ages of 1 and 2, can already observe, imitate and experiment with their interactions through play.
Minipally, the main character, and Tickle Rabbit, his friend, provide models that can be easily reproduced by toddlers in a fun and non-directive way.
At the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Provide a stimulating and safe educational environment for children that allows them to reach out to others with trust and by choice.
- Lead the program for young children.
- Recognize the modes of learning of young children.
- Support the development of young children’s everyday social skills.