Bullying is a menace that affects a kid in many ways. It brings down the well-being of your child. Bullying is harmful in that it brings down performance in school, creates anxiety about being targeted again and again, leads to sleep issues, and, in the worst case, puts a child into depression. Bullying not only affects the victim but also the aggressor, as when they become adults, their behavior becomes violent and may lead to a different kind of substance abuse. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the parents and educators to take measures to prevent any kind of bullying because it has multiplier effects that are detrimental in any time frame. Knowing how to prevent bullying in school will help you tackle these issues at their roots and can be vital to creating a stress-free classroom climate.
1. Diminishing communication gaps between kids and guardians
Bullying is often supported when there is no one to hear kid’s grievances. The affected kids hide their feelings of being under stress or even if they want to express it, it mixes with other things, making the cry for help unheard. In such scenarios, teachers and parents should regularly communicate with their children indirectly to know if there is anything that is bothering them. Different communication channels can be used to bridge the gaps created by formalities.
2. Identifying behaviors that can grow into bullying
These are often missed by educators in school as a sign of natural communication between kids, but you need to recognize them to prevent them from becoming bullying behavior in the future. Some of these behaviors are staring, laughing without context, causing physical harm, spying, stalking, etc. Educators can think about putting safeguards in place to remove these negative behaviors. Personality development for kids is a way by which they can be educated about different behaviors and what are the pitfalls to avoid.
3. Minimizing the group tendency
Children in school, due to similar behaviors, form small groups and often create conforming attitudes in these groups. These circles have the potential to develop negative emotions if unchecked. To keep these tendencies out of kid’s minds, educators and parents may ask kids to interact with other friends in the class rather than only specific best friends. This also gives a sense of wholesomeness to their character as they listen to other’s perspectives.
4. Spread Awareness about Bullying
Kids can better connect with something visual and have a lesson in it. Different art techniques, like drama, posters, or books, can be used to convey what constitutes bullying and the negative impacts it can create for both parties. Putting kids into this simulation can make them understand the ill effects and, due to shared awareness among all the kids, if one sees someone getting bullied, they can stop or report it to their teachers.
5. Avoid display of bullying behavior
Kids learn from their surroundings, and what they see they become. Parents and teachers can ensure they don't instill this behavior into the kids by mistake. In schools, these things can develop when a group of teachers with a sarcastic attitude tries to bully a teacher who doesn't conform to their thoughts. This behavior can percolate to kids if not checked. Thus, whenever an educator is in doubt, they can look into their classroom and see if their getting bullied affects their attitude toward children. If it does, they should seek professional help from school management.
6. Build emotional intelligence
Children who have empathy can be shielded from participating in bullying activities as they understand the ill effects it creates for others. Kids can be engaged in activities that bring social cohesion among them, like teamwork, benevolence, and kindness. These values make the child more humble in their approach rather than reacting to provocations. If you live around Delhi, you must try a professional personality development course in Delhi that can help to develop these niche skills through interactive activities and personalized support.
7. Promote leadership skills
Using the ideals of famous personalities and taking up lessons from their life can bring in a positive attitude among children. Also, developing leadership skills among kids can make them take responsibility for their actions and thus remove any possibilities of ill behavior from their side.
8. Respecting others
Making kids understand how they have to treat others prevents them from exploring other avenues, respecting the people they talk to, and also showing kindness can stop the egoistic tendencies in the nascent stage.
9. Keep a check on the Use Of Technology
Social media can be a potent threat when it comes to bullying. Parents can keep notice of how their kids can be targeted through any posts on social media or comments from their friends. Let the kid know that up to a certain age, their texts can be monitored so that they can be kept safe from any mental harassment. In the case of bullying through an online medium, parents should report it to the School and follow up so that such an instance need not be repeated in the future.
Being targeted by bullying can be overwhelming for kids, thus first parents and teachers can look out for distress signs in their kids to make them feel wanted. Parents can instill confidence among their kids and make them more resilient towards these attacks. Lastly, following the above steps on how to prevent bullying in school can help you and your child to be more successful in social and academic life and reach their full potential.