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A glimpse into our anti-bullying group
Bullying is a very huge concern for parents and schools. According to research, 1 out of 4 students have been bullied before, and about 12 per cent have experienced cyberbullying (Khong et al., 2018).
Bullying sometimes look like this:
"Haha loser!"
But other times it might be subtle…
"Lets not choose her for our team and avoid her”
"She’s just being sensitive!"
This school holiday, we conducted an anti-bullying social skills programme to equip our kids with the Little Marvels’ 6 Super Skills to deal with bullies. Let's take a look at one of the skills - seeking a safe space!
Seeking a Safe Space
Kids should learn how to identify people who provide a ‘safe space’ for them. When kids feel like they are safe, they feel confident and comfortable to be themselves. People who make others feel threatened might look a little like the puffer fish — they puff up and push others away because they feel defensive.
Some unsafe space behaviours can appear like…
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‘I’m better than you’ attitude
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Making fun of others
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Pushing people away
Through interacting during the anti-bullying sessions, the kids learn to accept each other and their differences in a non judgemental way. They can then become each other’s safe space!
If your child has experienced a situation where they did not feel safe, remind them that:
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Another person’s ‘better than you’ attitude is not your fault
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Choose to spend time with kids who appreciate you and like you for who you are
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Nobody is good at everything. Accept your strengths and weaknesses
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Treat your friends the way you want to be treated
Feel free to reach out to us if you would like to find out more about the programme!
References
Khong, J. Z. N., Tan, Y. R., Elliott, J. M., Fung, D., & Ong, S. H. (2018). 13th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. In Bullying among Adolescents in Singapore: Prevalence, Trends and Mental Health Correlates. Kuching, Sarawak