Parenting Tips on Bullying

1. Encourage your children to report bullying incidents to you.

  • Validate your children’s feelings by letting them know it’s normal to feel hurt, sad, scared and angry.
  • Let them know they are right to report the incident and are not to blame.
  • Help your children be specific in describing bullying incidents.

    2. Ask your children how they tried to stop the bullying.

    3. Coach your children about possible alternatives.
  • Avoidance is often the best strategy.
  • Play in a different place.
  • Play a different game.
  • Stay near a supervising adult when bullying is likely to occur.
  • Look for ways to find new friends. Support your children by encouraging them to invite friends to play at your home or involve your child in activities outside of school

    4. Treat the school as your ally.
  • Share your children’s concerns and specific information about bullying incidents with appropriate school personnel.
  • Work with school staff to protect your children from possible retaliation.
  • Establish a plan with the school and your children for dealing with future incidents.

    5. Encourage your children to seek help and to report bullying incidents     to someone they feel safe with at school, such as a teacher, counselor, principal or bus driver.

    6. Use school personnel and other parents as resources for finding positive ways to encourage respectful behaviors at school.
  • Volunteer time to help supervise field trips, the playground or the lunchroom.
  • Become an advocate for school-wide bullying-prevention programs and policies.

    7. Encourage your children to continue to talk to you about all bullying incidents.
  • Do not ignore your children’s reports.
  • Do not advise your children to physically fight back.
  • Do not confront the child who bullies.
  • Do not confront the family of the child who bullies.


    Source: Committee for Children

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