An experiment was performed to determine whether the mothers of 20 inner-city black preschoolers could successfully train their children in interpersonal problem-solving skills. The skills acquired by the mother-trained children were compared with those of 113 teacher-trained and 106 non-trained 4-year-olds, equated on initial IQ scores and school behavior. Mothers met in small groups weekly, for 10 weeks, to learn games and dialogues which focused on language and interpersonal thinking skills (e.g., "How is this girl feeling?"). For 15 minutes daily during this period each mother used the games and dialogues with her child. The teacher trained group of children was given similar instructions. The goal was to help the children cope with typical interpersonal problems, generate alternative solutions to a problem, and conceptualize potential consequences of a given act. Results showed that 19 of the 20 children trained by their mothers improved in interpersonal skills, as measured by pre- and posttests. There was no difference in skill improvement between mother-trained and teacher-trained groups, but children trained by either their teacher or mother improved significantly more than those never trained. Children trained by their mothers or teachers also improved in school behavior. (BRT)