JUNIOR DEPARTMENT NEWS
‘Always be a little kinder than necessary.’ J.M. Barrie
This week across the country it is Anti-Bullying Week and, as well as wearing our odd socks very proudly in the Junior Department, we have also learnt more about the differences between being :
- Rude
- Mean
and
- Bullying
In my assembly on Monday, I asked the children for their ideas about these and they came up with some interesting suggestions, most of which centred around the idea that bullying was more of a physical act whereas being mean was linked to our words and how we use them.
I showed them the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s definition of the three words and explained it to them as well.
Teaching young children about bullying can be like walking a tightrope. Introducing the vocabulary and indeed the word itself means that they are likely to practise using it! The first playtime after such an assembly invariably sees lots of children telling us that ‘so and so is bullying me!’ We are always prepared for this and help the children understand what is actually happening and why. You may also experience your own children telling you that they are being bullied in the next few days and weeks. I would encourage you to listen to them, of course, but also to delve a little deeper and unpick what is actually going on and help them label it correctly.
Whilst preparing for this week and my assembly I also came across this acronym to use with the children to help them remember what bullying is.
- Several
- Times
- One-sided
- Mean
- Purposeful
But perhaps most effective of all is, in focusing on the power of kindness and friendship. I told the children that if we ALL put kindness first in everything that we say and do and we remember to think about how the other person or people are feeling, then we won’t need to worry about bullying because it wouldn’t exist!
There are so many amazing picture books that explore the idea of friendships and how to navigate them (and the children are still learning to do this!). Here are just a few:
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McIntosh
Head of Junior Department