This study compared immediate, short-term effects of different training components on mothers' acquisition of non-directive play skills. Subjects were dyads of 49 mothers and their sons, ages 4 to 6. Mother-son pairs were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. The control group received no training. All other mothers viewed the videotape "How to play with a child." In the Modeling condition, trainers answered questions following the videotape. In the Rehearsal condition, mothers watched the video then practiced play skills and received feedback on skill execution. Mothers in the Processing condition watched the video, practiced play, received feedback, then discussed their cognitive and emotional reactions. Mothers in all four conditions practiced playing with their sons once a week for 2 weeks, then returned for a post-training assessment. Prior to training and again 2 weeks later, the mother-son dyads participated in a 10-minute videotaped play session in which mothers followed their son's lead. Results indicated that children whose mothers received no training were actually more directive in their play than children whose mothers received video-modeling only. However, when video-modeling was supplemented with skill rehearsal and the processing of skill usage, significant gains were noted in mothers' non-directiveness, self-reported skill implementation, and self-perceived positive affect during play. (MM)