Social Skills for What to Do About Bullying

Bully free zone logo

Bullying is an unfortunate experience for some students regardless of their age. As an educator or parent/guardian, you can prepare your students or child with the knowledge to recognize bullying in all of its forms and what to do if they witness it or experience it firsthand. 

There are various forms of bullying: 

  • verbal (i.e. name-calling, teasing, threats)
  • physical (i.e. shoving, tripping, damaging property)
  • social (i.e. isolation, spreading rumors, gossip) 
  • psychological (i.e. intimidation, manipulation) 

Bullies can come in many forms: they can be individuals, groups of peers, it can even be a sibling or someone you thought was a friend, or an authority figure.

While the reasons that bullies do the things they do are varied, it is never appropriate or right to bully another person and never excusable. 

So what should your child do if they or someone they know is being bullied? 

  1. Try to remain calm – often, bullies are looking to get a reaction from their actions. If you remain calm, they may get bored and move along. 
  2. Try to avoid the bully – while this may be difficult in a school setting where you may be forced into shared spaces with the bully, try your best to avoid being in the same area as them as much as possible to avoid confrontations. 
  3. Spend time with your friends close to you. Many bullies tend to pick on kids who are alone, so if you’re surrounded by your friends, you may be less likely to be targeted. 
  4. Sometimes bullies will take valuable items from others so try to leave your valuables at home if you’re worried about being targeted.  
  5. Talk to a trusted adult! Talking to a parent, teacher, or counselor can help immensely in dealing with bullies. They will have solutions to the situation that you may not have thought of and be able to help you in a number of ways. 

Keep in mind, bullying is very often not about you. It’s a bully’s own insecurities or fears that cause them to lash out and target others in negative ways.  

Share this information with your child or students so they will know what to do if they ever witness or experience bullying firsthand! 

The special education resources on this page were authored by Watson Institute’s special education consultant, Andee Morris, M.Ed.

Powerpoint Presentation

What to Do About Bullying Facilitator’s Guide

What to Do About Bullying

Resource Materials

What to Do About Bullying Activity 2

What to Do About Bullying Survey

What to Do About Bullying Magnet Cards

What to Do About Bullying Mini Schedule

What to Do About Bullying Outline

What to Do About Bullying Parent Note

What to Do About Bullying Teacher Note

What to Do About Bullying Homework

Pre/Post Assessment

A pre and post lesson assessment is included in each lesson. Use of the assessment is an instructor preference.  Many of the ‘homework’ pages for a lesson can be used as a pre/post assessment device alone or as part of the provided assessment.  Each homework page can be checked by the instructor as well as the student.

Review all included pages of the lesson to determine what ‘assessment’ method will meet your needs.  If the student is able to achieve a + in the majority of items of the pre-assessment, or if the student has been observed to display the skill topic of the lesson often, then the lesson may not be introduced or can be taught with a group as review and/or reinforcement.

What to Do About Bullying Pre/Post Assessment

If you have questions or concerns about the Watson Institute’s use of this information, please contact us.