How to Prevent Bullying
Many children are victims of bullying. Most of these children don’t know how to stop of prevent bullying which is why we as adults must step in to ensure that bullying does not occur. There are many different reasons why kids bully others, and bullying cases can very in severity. No matter how severe bullying is, it is never acceptable and should be handled quickly. If you think your child is at a risk for being bullied, there are things you can do to prevent bullying. It is easier to prevent bullying than to stop it once it has started so keep the following tips in mind for your child to prevent bullying before it starts.
Bullying often happens in unsupervised areas so to prevent bullying tell your kids to avoid being alone in hallways, at recess, and in other areas of the school. Encourage your child to meet and associate with quality friends as bullies are more likely to target children that are alone. Another way to prevent bullying is to advise your child to walk away from situation with bullies. Many times ignoring bullying attempts is the best way to prevent bullying as most bullies are trying to get a reaction out of the children they pick on.
Bullies like to pick on children who are not confident or assertive. Teaching kids to act confidently is a good way to prevent bullying. Children who appear confident and can assert themselves when confronted by a bully are less likely to be picked on. Even if a bully targets your child once, a calm and confident reaction will decrease the chances that your child will be targeted again. Children should not cry or get upset if they are bullied, instead the best way to prevent bullying is for them to use an assertive voice and tell the bully to stop. Bullies like to get a rise out of the kids they pick on so children that are clam and assertive will be less likely to be bullied again.
Because bullies like to pick on children who are not confident, a good way to prevent bullying is to get your child involved in activities that boost their confidence. Children who have other areas of their life to feel confident in will carry over that attitude into situations where they can be bullied. Any enjoyable activity that your child excels at will help to make them more confident and in turn that confidence will help prevent bullying. If your child has confidence and self esteem, it will be easier for them to ignore a bully and not let the bully’s actions bother them.
If your child learns how to respond to a bully and develops a good self image, it will be easy for them to prevent bullying. Make sure your child knows that the bullying is not their fault if they are targeted and that it is not acceptable. Many children are hesitant to turn to adults for help, but telling an adult right away is the best way to prevent bullying in the future.