Brave, Bold, Kindergarteners

Since it is October, which is bully prevention month, we have been focusing on the topic of bullying. I began the kindergarten lesson last week by asking the students to define bullying in their own words. Many responses I received had to do with kicking, pushing, and hitting. The kindergarteners were surprised to learn that bullying is not just physical- it can be emotional and verbal as well. Many times students confuse bullying with teasing, conflict, and a mean moment. It was important to emphasize that bullying is repeated, intentional, and an imbalance in power.

In order to emphasize this point further, we read the book, Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies by Howard Binkow. The kindergarteners loved this book and were able to point out all of the times the main character, Howard, was getting bullied. At the end of the book, Howard musters up the courage to tell his teacher. Once he tells his teacher, the bullying subsides. We then talked about the importance of telling a trusted adult (like a teacher) if they see someone getting bullied or feel like they are getting bullied.

The students colored pictures of themselves telling a teacher that someone is being bullied. I got this idea from schoolcounselingbyheart.com.

This is an example of what our kindergarteners colored. This picture is from schoolcounselingbyheart.com

This lesson incorporated the Missouri Comprehensive Guidance standard PS.3: Applying perusal safety skills and coping strategies and the American School Counselor Association National Standard (ASCA) PS: C1.6: Differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult professional help.

This week, we will continue our discussion of bullying. Have a great week! :)