School bullying is a very common trend in schools nowadays, especially as schools welcome students from various cultures and beliefs.
Some cases of bullying are mild because it only involves teases and criticisms. But, some bullying cases are very severe as some children are beaten and consistently belittled by others to the point their self-esteem and willingness to go to school is shot to pieces.
Many parents and educators have been working together for years to find a solution to bullying. But, if current steps are not working, here are our top recommendation of bullying prevention books you can try to help combat bullying.
The Bully, The Bullied, and the Not-So-Innocent Bystander
In this book by Barbara Coloroso, it helps readers understand the nature of bullying, from what causes it, why do kids do it and why adults find it difficult to stop.
She also talks about the different kinds of bullies and what can be recommended to child victims of these bullies and how other kids can avoid bullies.
She even talks about how school’s anti-bullying policies can be improved and include new kinds of bullying such as sexual bullying and cyberbullying.
Girl Wars: 12 Strategies that Will End Female Bullying
Even though our children are older, it doesn’t mean they are mature enough to handle their relationships and sort their social skills.
The authors of this book look into 12 great strategies parents or educators can teach children to prevent bullying. They also offer examples for girls on how they can respond to certain bullying behaviours and save themselves from bullying. SmileTutor offers various ways to deal with bullying as well.
Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls
Parents will definitely benefit from reading this book by Rachel Simmons as she explains how girls are pressured not to show their emotions in public.
This results in these girls being unable to deal with situations and conflicts easily, as well as becoming prone to being bullied.
Simmons would then share how girls can be assisted in improving their friendships and how they can deal with their “negative emotions” easily. As friendships can affect school performance indirectly, here we looked into how your child’s peers can affect their grades.
Please Stop Laughing at Me
In this book by Jodee Blanco, she shares a darker look at bullying that she and other kids have experienced.
She shares her experience of being harassed during her 5th grade to high school years by bullies who tormented her for reporting her bullies and criticised her for her rare medical condition.
She shares that while she had to undergo therapy, her bullies remain unpunished. She shares her advice on how to get through bullying and why people should prevent it to protect children from severe bullying.
Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Alouds and Guided Conversations
The book features a look into how teachers can help prevent bullying in the classroom by building a unique classroom culture that clearly says bullying is not allowed.
They share a guide on how this culture can be developed and share their experiences on how they were able to develop a culture that promotes anti-bullying.
Bully: An Action Plan for Teachers, Parents, and Communities to Combat the Bullying Crisis
This book by Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen is a great book to read to understand what several people think about bullying and how it can be prevented.
Readers will also be taught the reasons why bullying should be considered a serious problem in the community and what can be done to prevent bullying from affecting their life.
Parents and teachers can read this book and watch the documentary film with the same title to find out how famous people dealt with bullying and how children can learn from their response. One of the many ways to prevent bullying is to raise street smart kids as shown here.
UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World
In this book, Dr. Michele Borba looks into the nature of children today, which studies believe to be less empathetic than kids 30 years ago.
As a result, their behaviour causes them to become easy victims to bullying and affect their overall performance in school and response to bad situations. She would then show how parents can help their kids become empathetic and help them prevent bullying. Empathy and kindness are some of the basic skills that we need to instill in our children when they are young, find out here to know how.
Kindness Wins: A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Our Kids How to Be Kind Online
In this book, the author Galit Breen looks into cyberbullying and how parents or teachers can help children avoid it. Breen shares her experiences when she experienced cyberbullying and how her children asked her about social media.
Each chapter will help parents and teachers teach kids how to be kind online and how social media can be monitored so children won’t be a target to cyberbullies. As parents, we will need to monitor their internet usage carefully as detailed in this post.
She also included a unique “Kindness Wins” contract that kids and parents can sign together and pledge that they will be kind and caring even on the internet.
Speak Up and Get Along!: Learn the Mighty Might, Thought Chop, and More Tools to Make Friends, Stop Teasing, and Feel Good About Yourself
In this book by Scott Cooper, he shares 21 great strategies to help children express what they feel, improve their relationships with people, and how to deal with conflicts like bullying.
Every strategy is supported with great examples for children, parents and educators to use to emphasise how these skills can be used.
Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear
The book is written by a concerned parent who shares the story of her little girl who was teased for having a Star Wars bottle.
As she talks about her child’s case, author Carrie Goldman looks into how elementary schools deal with bullying, what causes bullying in this level and the stereotypes surrounding children.
She also takes the time to analyse the message shown by society regarding this “ideal” image of children and why kids become a prime victim for bullies. Goldman also shares her recommendation on how bullying can be prevented in the community.
Conclusion
As parents and educators, we play a crucial role in helping children understand the world around them and how they can respond to issues like bullying.
With the help of these books, parents and educators can guide their kids on how they can interact with others and develop their response to conflicts. It will also help kids fight against bullying and help bring in a friendlier community.
To explore more on bullying, here are some articles:
What To Do When Your Child is Being Bullied at Daycare in Singapore?
Wuhan Coronavirus: How to Turn This into a Learning Moment
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