When a child has something different or special about them, they can become a target for teasing and bullying. Bullying can take place anywhere: in school, on the bus, at extra-curricular activities, in play groups, in the neighborhood, in public places, and online.
What is Teasing? Teasing involves a variety of human verbal or non-verbal interactions. Teasing can be playful or hurtful. Teasing that becomes hurtful is also a form of bullying or harassing.
What is Bullying? Bullying involves doing or saying things to another person to have power over them. Examples of bullying include saying or writing things to another person to threaten, scare, or make them uncomfortable and hitting or shoving a person.
There is growing public awareness that bullying and destructive teasing are widespread. Communities and schools are developing programs and cultures to discourage bullying behavior. You can join the effort to stop teasing and bullying by educating yourself and your students. The following steps will help you with this process of education. Click on each step for a more detailed explanation.
Develop Healthy Anti-Bullying Skills
- Teach students the social skills they need for good peer relationships:
- Showing kindness to others
- Avoiding mean behavior
- Playing fairly
- Taking turns
- Respecting others
- Sharing feelings with others
- Establish clear classroom rules so students know that it is not acceptable for them to bully, to be bullied, or to stand by while others are being bullied.
- Intervene when students report teasing and bullying.
- Remind students not to tease, push, or hit.
Talk About Teasing and Bullying in Your Classroom
- Talk with your students about the various types of bullying that can occur:
- Making fun of something about another person
- Threatening behavior
- Physical contact (poking, hitting, or shoving)
- Spreading rumors
- Belittling or saying bad things about someone else
- Cyberbullying
- Discuss the difference between a polite question that is normal curiosity vs. teasing behavior.
- Talk about how to maintain safety in bullying incidents.
- Identify ways students can help each other during bullying situations.
- Use teasing and bullying prevention lesson plans (see resources section).
Train Students to Report All Teasing or Bullying Behavior
- Encourage students to report teasing and bullying to you or another trusted adult.
- Teach the difference between tattling and telling: Bullying is a safety issue that must be reported.
- Take a student seriously if they say they are afraid or might be hurt if the bully knows they told someone.
Teach Your Students How to Respond to Teasing and Bullying
- Respond to student reports of bullying with reassurance and support.
- Discourage students from responding to bullying and teasing in an aggressive manner.
- Remind students who have been bullied that they are not to blame. It is the bully who is behaving badly.
- Teach students to ignore the bully as a strategy; but remind them that “ignore” does not mean they should not report the incident or talk about it.
- Provide social skills training, as well as conflict resolution and confidence building resources for both the victim and the bully.
Bullying that occurs at school, on the school bus, or on the playground may require involving additional school personnel to develop solutions. Parents of both the victim and bully need to be involved in developing solutions to bullying and teasing.
Work with Your School's Administration
- Be familiar with the anti-bullying policy or program at your school
- Review your state’s board of education policies on “safe schools.” For example, to view the State of Michigan's policies, click here.
- Model Anti-Bullying Policy
- Policies on Bullying
- Policies on Safe Schools
- Work with your school to implement or maintain an anti-bullying program:
- Confirm that policy procedures are being followed.
- Discuss your concerns with other teachers and school administrators.
- Involve the school board to support your school’s efforts.
- Encourage partnerships with other schools that have successful anti-bullying programs.
Depending on the age of the students, there are special considerations to keep in mind when discussing teasing and bullying. Click on the child’s age range below for more information. Since every child is different, you may find it helpful to review the advice for other age ranges as well.
Children 2-6 Years Old
Young children do not readily understand what teasing, bullying, aggressive, or inappropriate behaviors are. They may have difficulty verbally expressing their curiosity or lack of understanding about visible differences; this can surface as inappropriate behavior. Discuss that it is okay to ask questions and talk about differences; but it is not okay to “make fun” of others.
Early social skills training is important. Use the words “teasing” and “bullying” to discuss their own or others’ inappropriate or aggressive behaviors, such as:
- If a 3 year old calls other children names, tell them to stop. Then discuss name-calling and teasing and how others feel when they are called names.
- If a child repeatedly hits, or grabs toys from other children, tell them to stop. Then use the term bullying to describe the behavior, and discuss the importance of sharing.
Use books, videos, or stories about bullying to discuss what behaviors are unacceptable. Have students talk about what correct behaviors should happen. Consider using lesson plans targeted for the preschool and kindergarten age groups (see resources section).
Children 7-11 Years Old
Older children can explain their feelings more easily than younger children. However, they still might need help with talking about teasing or bullying. Include social and group bullying behavior in classroom discussions (spreading rumors, social rejection, isolation, or exclusion). As they begin using cell phones and social media, include cyberbullying as a lesson plan topic.
Visit the website www.stopbullying.gov and view the “Webisodes” with your class. Continue to include bullying education in activities that target social skills development, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Have children role-play various situations, playing the part of the bully as well as the one being bullied. Talk about how it feels.
Teens 12-17 Years Old
Popular novels, TV shows, movies, social media, and websites can be used to discuss teasing and bullying with your students. Discussion points may include:
- Why is it teasing or bullying?
- What would you do if it happened to you?
- What would you do if it happened to your friend?
- Who can you talk to if you are teased or bullied?
- What strategies can you use to stop it?
Teens may find it difficult to report or talk about teasing and bullying behavior. Continue to emphasize the importance of reporting bullying and teasing of others. Use news stories to discuss how dangerous bullying and teasing can be if it’s not addressed. Teach students how to help others who are being bullied.
Discuss with students how cyberbullying behaviors (using cell phones or social media technology to stalk, harass, threaten, intimidate, embarrass, or target another person) can have serious legal ramifications. Review your school’s cyberbullying policy with students. Discuss how to handle cyberbullying if it occurs.
