Bullying has always been a problem. This is a fact that has to be acknowledged and understood. There will always be those kids who like to bully weaker, smaller children but understanding the problem is only the first step in helping children being bullied.
This is not a problem that will go away any time soon. Learning how to handle bullying and teaching those tips to your students is essential in reducing the number of bullying incidents.
Recognize The Signs Of Bullying In Primary School
Unfortunately, there are too many signs that indicate a student is being bullied at school. Here are just a few of those signs to get you on the right path to recognizing when bullying is taking place:
- The child refuses or does not want to go to school
- The child’s eating habits change
- The child is not sleeping very well
- The child’s belongings are damaged, lost or the child has visible injuries
- The child avoids taking the school bus to school.
- Their emotions change and he or she can become more withdrawn
- The child gets sick more often and too frequently for real illnesses to be the source
- The child experiences a loss of friends and they are always on their own
Encourage School Children To Tell You If They’re Being Bullied
It can be difficult to get a child to tell their parents or teachers that they are being bullied. The reason for that reluctance is that telling on the bullies only makes the situation worse and the bullies angrier.
To get the child to speak up, they need to feel safe and be in a safe environment that enhances their confidence in their parents or teachers. Some of the things that do not encourage the student to tell what is going on in their lives is to not make it a group activity.
The student should not have to talk about it in front of the class, nor should then be forced to be in the same room as the bully. Avoiding the don’ts of this problem is one good way to encourage the student to open up and let teachers or parents know what is being done to them.
Also, do not force the child to tell. Give them the opportunity and let them decide if they will talk or not.
Teach Your Child How To Cope With Bullying In School
There are different methods you can use to teach your child how to cope with bullying. One good method is to get them involved in after-school activities that do not involve their schoolmates.
This provides the bullied child a chance to make new friends. They will not be isolated anymore. Or teach your child to spend more time in groups. This will cause the bully to hesitate somewhat as they prefer two on one, etc., contact and not when the odds are against them.
Then, teach your child that bullying is not their fault. They did not do anything wrong, usually, that incited the bully to attack them. Give them a reason why the bully is targeting them and one good reason is that the bully is jealous of them.
One important lesson that helps a child cope with bullying is to believe them. Don’t pass it off or give a superficial response. Take the child seriously and then help them deal with the problem.
Be Aware Of Any Signs That The Bullying Is Continuing Or Getting Worse
Getting to know the signs of bullying is very important and those signs are listed above. But knowing those signs is not enough as in many cases they do not indicate that the bullying activity is getting worse.
One sign of excessive bullying would be how the child acts. He or she can fall into depression when the bullying only intensifies. Declining grades will be another sign that bullying is getting worse.
A loss of interest in hobbies, sports, or other favourite activities will be another indication that the bullying has not stopped but has increased.
Create A Safe And Supportive Home Environment In Every School
The steps to achieving this objective are many. One good option to use is to reward those students who practice the proper inclusive character that all students need to feel.
Another is to teach teachers how to spot bullying and bullies and give them the tools to stop it before it gets worse. One of those tools can be an anonymous reporting process. This can be done by phone or through the school’s website.
A fourth option would be to monitor any possible bullying hotspots that are located around the school. These are areas where teachers and staff do not have a clear field of vision or cannot see at all.
These hidden areas are a bully’s prime spaces to act out on smaller, weaker children.
Get Involved In The School Community
One of the best ways to learn about and witness bullying is to get involved with the school and other parents. This involvement provides you with more opportunities to see what is going on directly and who is initiating the bullying.
This involvement also provides the opportunity for teachers and parents to enforce the school’s rules. Bullying can be reduced if bullies are punished properly and they see there are consequences for their actions.
When You Need Help
Bullying is a tough problem to solve as more and more cultures interact with each other at school. To get some more guidance on bullying and how to deal with it, or create safe anonymous communication on your website, contact us.
Our company has experience in helping schools create safe website spaces to help children who are a victim of bullies. Our contact information is located here and on several web pages for your convenience.
Together we can help reduce the number of bullying incidents and victims.
