Bullying is an increasingly pervasive issue that is threatening the learning environment of children across multiple age groups. In fact, bullying has gone beyond the physical classroom, growing its presence in online platforms as well as at federal and local levels.
Early childhood educators are in a unique position to begin the training and problem-solving development that will help young children learn to recognize, deescalate, and stop the bullying they see around them.
During early childhood, students are quickly learning about the world around them, especially through exploration. It’s during these years that children develop their sense of self and build the foundations for who they will become later in life. With this in mind, it’s even more important to recognize bullying and make efforts to stop it at younger ages.
Recognizing classroom bullying
Bullying behavior can often be overlooked in early childhood. Promote Prevent reports this behavior can take place in “daycare, preschool, home care groups, and kindergarten classrooms.” While not all children who are bullied or are bullies exhibit clear warning signs, attentive educators can help ensure student safety.
How bullies choose their targets is often unclear. Any person can be bullied anywhere for any reason. A National Education Association survey of educators found students have been bullied because of their weight, gender, perceived sexual orientation, religion, and ability status.
Stopbullying.gov recognizes bullying as repeated aggressive behavior that displays an imbalance of power. Some common forms of bullying include:
- Teasing, taunting, and inappropriate sexual comments
- Embarrassing or spreading rumors about someone
- Telling other children not to be friends with someone
- Causing pain by hitting, kicking, spitting, and stealing or harming someone’s things
- Gesturing rudely
Awareness of how students communicate and relate to one another is paramount for educators to recognize bullying that may be taking place in their classroom. Students are not likely to communicate or report the bullying they are experiencing—especially in early childhood as they are still developing their communication skills.
How to handle bullying in the classroom?
Just as it is important for educators to be capable of recognizing and de-escalating bullying, it is also important for students. Mitigating this problem takes a communal effort in educational settings in order to stand up for those who are bullied and change the behavior of those who bully.
- Anti-bullying classroom activities — Numerous team building, visual, and artistic activities can help facilitate conversations about bullying for students. Making this an activity can help engage students and develop their knowledge about what bullying is and how it affects those around them. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center offers free activities and resources that are designed to help younger children deepen their understanding of bullying.
- Prioritizing teaching over punishing — Promoting Relationships & Eliminating Violence Network (PrevNet) suggests that utilizing formative consequences will allow students to understand that bullying will not be tolerated. A common goal of early childhood educators is to develop social skills by encouraging interactions between peers. Utilizing this tactic will help children build and develop empathy.
- Keep communication lines open — Students need to know that their educators take their safety seriously and want them to feel safe. Bullying goes unreported for several reasons, including feeling like one won’t be heard or fear of retaliation. Educators should make it clear that they are a resource for students and help them feel more comfortable in their environment.
Early childhood education is a formative time for students to develop their social skills. Making sure their environment is a safe space is paramount. As educators, it’s important to learn the signs of bullying and work to prevent or stop this behavior in the classroom.
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