A Glimpse Into Our Anti-Bullying Group

Bullying is a very big concern for parents and schools. According to research, 1 out of 4 students has been bullied before, and about 12 per cent have experienced cyberbullying (Khong et al., 2018).

Bullying can look different than you'd expect

Sometimes bullying is loud and obvious — "Haha, loser!" But other times it's subtle and relational: "Let's not choose her for our team, and avoid her." Both forms can be deeply hurtful, and the quieter kind is often the hardest for adults to spot.

This school holiday, we ran an anti-bullying social skills programme to equip children with the Little Marvels 6 Super Skills for dealing with bullies. Here's a look at one of them.

Seeking a safe space

Children should learn how to identify people who provide a "safe space" for them. When children feel safe, they feel confident and comfortable being themselves. People who make others feel threatened can be a little like a puffer fish — they puff up and push others away because they feel defensive.

Some "unsafe space" behaviours can look like:

• An "I'm better than you" attitude
• Making fun of others
• Pushing people away

Through the sessions, children learn to accept one another and their differences in a non-judgemental way — so they can become each other's safe space.

What to remind your child

If your child has experienced a situation where they didn't feel safe, remind them that:

• Another person's "better than you" attitude is not your fault
• They can choose to spend time with children who appreciate and like them for who they are
• Nobody is good at everything — it's okay to accept your strengths and weaknesses
• Treat your friends the way you want to be treated