In our My Remarkable Self program, we work with children and adults to understand what bullying and cyberbullying is and how to prevent it through interactive lessons and workshops.In observation of National Bullying Prevention Month we thought that we would share a few ideas and resources to help you be a part of the movement to stop bullying.
A few signs that your child is being bullied:
– Unexplainable injuries
– Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations; spending more time alone, either at home or in their room
– Unexpectedly stops using devices
A few signs that you child is a bully:
– Is increasingly aggressive
– Blames others for their problems; Does not accept responsibility for their actions
– Quickly switches screens or hides device when you are close by
Conversation starters:
“What was the best part of your school day? Any bad things?”
“How was lunch today? Who did you sit with? What did you talk about?”
“Other than your [Mom, Dad, parental figure], who do you trust to go to with a problem?”
Encourage your children to be inclusive of others by:
– Sitting with someone they do not usually do at lunch (check out the FANTASTIC
“Sit with Us” App designed by a student!)
-Making friends with someone at school who they don’t know. Many children wish that someone had done that for them at some point.
-Encourage your child to be an UPSTANDER – Bullies have been known to back off when others stand up for victims.
Encourage your school to get involved:
StompOutBullying.org has wonderful ideas for teachers and schools as to how to develop empathy, encourage being an upstander, and yearlong activities to get children involved in to bring greater awareness to bullying and cyberbullying.
Books to read with your children:
by Trudy Ludwig:
My Secret Bully
Just Kidding
The Invisible Boy
Sorry!
