How to Prevent Bullying
Kids get bullied every single day. In fact, over 160,000 kids every single day avoid coming to school, avoid certain activities at school or avoid certain kids just to avoid some sort of bullying. It can be something super simple like getting called names or it can be something much more evil like kids putting their hands on other kids. This isn’t just prevalent in real life though, it also happens online. If you are a parent and have a child who is dealing with bullying, you probably know that this is a situation which can either be gone and forgotten, or it might turn into something way more than it is right now, depending on how your child decides to let it affect them and how far the other child decides they want to go with this! You know that it can go either way, since you too probably got made fun of or bullied when you were a kid just like your son or daughter. Perhaps you are even a teacher and you have seen bullying going on. If that’s the case, be sure to continue reading below on how to deal with something like this and how to prevent it from happening in the future.
Children Reporting Bullying Anonymously
In some cases if a kid is getting bullied and someone else, such as another child, sees it happening - they won’t step in unfortunately. If they step in, they know that it can be redirected to them and they could be the new object of that bullying. One of the best ways to go about reporting is to do anonymous reporting. This allows a child to visit a book or a ballot box (like a comment box) in a private area to place a comment on a piece of paper and put it into a box to make the teachers or guidance counselor or even principle aware of bullying going on in the school. Of course there are other ways of going on about reporting. First is to make sure that teachers like Shari Duddy allow for open communication and that they make it comfortable and safe for children to come and talk to them about bullies and being bullied.
Anti-Bullying Website, Information and Pamphlets
Having a school website for bullying allows kids to get all information on bullying in one spot. Not only does it teach them about what bullying is, but also how to report it, prevent it, stop it, etc. You’d be surprised who uses this website. It’s not just going to be young boys and girls who are getting bullied; it may also be a bully him or herself who knows they have an issue and wants to get it figured out. Make sure that on the website you include an array of articles, links and resources to other websites as well for things like counseling, getting help as a bully, anger management or whatever else you can think of.
Parents - Be Open
One of the biggest reasons kids don’t talk to their parents about bullying is because they are scared to or don’t think they can talk to their parents about something like that. Sometimes it’s important for you to open the line of communication first. Talk to them about their day, ask them about any new friends or kids that they have met or have talked to. Talk to them a little bit about what bullying is, why it happens, when it happens, etc. Depending on your kid’s ages, there are even TV shows and videos that deal with bullying in a more relaxed format so you can watch it with your kids and talk about the "moral" of the story at the end of the video.
Educating Children
People seem to think that a bully is born and they know exactly what they are doing and why they are bullying someone. But you might be surprised to know that kids, especially young kids, have no idea why they are bullying someone else. If you want kids to come to self-realization and understand why kids really DO bully each other, it’s a good idea to give a class or presentation on bullying. This can be done once every 6 months or so for different classes in the school. Or you could also invite third party programs to come to your school to teach kids about bullying. These programs are a lot like DARE, they have a moral to the story kind of feel to them, but they are also educational and informative.
Children Reporting Bullying Anonymously
In some cases if a kid is getting bullied and someone else, such as another child, sees it happening - they won’t step in unfortunately. If they step in, they know that it can be redirected to them and they could be the new object of that bullying. One of the best ways to go about reporting is to do anonymous reporting. This allows a child to visit a book or a ballot box (like a comment box) in a private area to place a comment on a piece of paper and put it into a box to make the teachers or guidance counselor or even principle aware of bullying going on in the school. Of course there are other ways of going on about reporting. First is to make sure that teachers like Shari Duddy allow for open communication and that they make it comfortable and safe for children to come and talk to them about bullies and being bullied.
Anti-Bullying Website, Information and Pamphlets
Having a school website for bullying allows kids to get all information on bullying in one spot. Not only does it teach them about what bullying is, but also how to report it, prevent it, stop it, etc. You’d be surprised who uses this website. It’s not just going to be young boys and girls who are getting bullied; it may also be a bully him or herself who knows they have an issue and wants to get it figured out. Make sure that on the website you include an array of articles, links and resources to other websites as well for things like counseling, getting help as a bully, anger management or whatever else you can think of.
Parents - Be Open
One of the biggest reasons kids don’t talk to their parents about bullying is because they are scared to or don’t think they can talk to their parents about something like that. Sometimes it’s important for you to open the line of communication first. Talk to them about their day, ask them about any new friends or kids that they have met or have talked to. Talk to them a little bit about what bullying is, why it happens, when it happens, etc. Depending on your kid’s ages, there are even TV shows and videos that deal with bullying in a more relaxed format so you can watch it with your kids and talk about the "moral" of the story at the end of the video.
Educating Children
People seem to think that a bully is born and they know exactly what they are doing and why they are bullying someone. But you might be surprised to know that kids, especially young kids, have no idea why they are bullying someone else. If you want kids to come to self-realization and understand why kids really DO bully each other, it’s a good idea to give a class or presentation on bullying. This can be done once every 6 months or so for different classes in the school. Or you could also invite third party programs to come to your school to teach kids about bullying. These programs are a lot like DARE, they have a moral to the story kind of feel to them, but they are also educational and informative.