Preventing bullying by teaching children good social skills.

How to be Social

Children who are victims of bullies may not have learned to speak up for themselves, and bullies, somewhere along the line, learned to use aggressive behaviour. But by teaching children from a young age how to interact with others well, we may help prevent this, explains Patti Agatston, co author of Cyber Bullying. “I think working with our kids to teach them good social skills, giving them opportunities to be with other kids in social situations from an early age, and then role playing different scenarios, helping them practice how to handle difficult situations, and then making sure finally, that we keep that communication open and that they know that they can approach us if there is a problem and they’re not sure how to handle it.If your child is aggressive or unfazed by hurting others, you’ll need to step in. “We need to address that as a parent, we need to look for ways to increase their empathy and encourage them to engage in kind behaviour. ”

The Parent Report’s guest expert is Patti Agatston, co author of Cyber Bullying.