Bullying

Bullying is when a child or a group of children use their power to hurt or reject someone else. The child who bullies has more power because he/she is bigger, stronger, older, more popular, or has support from other children.

Over time, this imbalance of power becomes established.  In this relationship, children who are bullied feel more and more powerless to defend themselves.  Children who bully will become more powerful and will use this power and aggression with others. 
 
Not every argument, conflict or spat between children is bullying. Children will sometimes argue or will even dislike each other.

Bullying however, is not a normal part of growing up. It differs from disagreements between children in important ways.

Bullying is :

Using power over others Done on purpose Repeated over time Hurtful either physically and/or emotionally Serious and harmful

Bullying can take many forms:

Physical: hitting, kicking, pushing, stealing or damaging property Verbal: name-calling, threatening another, rude comments Social: leaving people out from a group, spreading rumours or gossip, setting others up to look foolish Cyber: harassing or threatening through e-mails, text messages or websites

The forms of bullying can change depending on the age and the gender of the children.

• Bullying may begin in preschool as physical and verbal but may develop into social bullying as children grow and become more aware of other’s thoughts and feelings.
• Girls are more likely to use social bullying in their friendship circles.  
• Bullying seems to increase at times of school changes (from elementary school to middle school to high school).
  

Contact information:

Bullying Home Page

With children under 6 years old