How To Recognize and Stop Cyber Bullying | Corona, CA

When bullying moves from the playground to online spaces, that is when it becomes cyberbullying. Bullying via cell phones, computers, or gaming means that negative, harmful, false, or mean comments are being expressed. It can include making someone feel embarrassed, or humiliated, or sharing their private information.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are on social media platforms, text or messaging apps, instant messages, email, and gaming forums. Bullying via these means leaves a record of comments shared, is harder for teachers to recognize, and can scar one’s reputation.

Cyberbullying has the same consequences as bullying that happens in person. It can make targets feel awful about him or themselves, scared, or embarrassed, and often don’t think their stories won’t be believed. If your son or daughter is the victim of bullying and comes to you with their stories, thoughts or questions, it’s important to make them feel heard and help them identify hateful comments online.

If you would like to learn more about bullying, contact Simple Acts of Care and Kindness at 866-459-7225 or visit www.simpleacts.org for additional information.

4 Ways to Encourage Kindness | Corona, CA

Teaching our kids to be kind tends to begin by example. When you are kind to those around you, or your child is exposed to kindness, that is how they begin to understand what it is. They can see, hear, and often feel the energy kind words and actions emit, and ideally, begin to repeat those actions with their friends. Verbally communicating that your child should be kind, is much different than their experience of, and practice with it. Here are four ways you can encourage kindness in kids.

  1. Walk the walk. Be the person you’d like you’d like your child to be through example. Your child won’t follow your instruction when it contradicts the examples you set.
  1. Talk the talk. When talking to your child individually, or to them when they are around their friends, make sure to speak positively, and know how to word things in such a way that everyone feels included and considered with kindness.
  1. Reward acts of kindness. If your child wants to support a good cause in some way or otherwise goes out of his or her way to do something unconventionally kind, its important to reinforce that behavior with praise, and maybe a little something special.
  1. Teach empathy. Taking kids outside of their routine to expose them to new experiences and people who differ from them teaches them a lot about their situation, and how it may compare to that of their peers. It’s important to teach children empathy at a young age, so they may practice it, and be an empathetic adult.

If you would like to learn more about bullying, contact Simple Acts of Care and Kindness at 866-459-7225 or visit www.simpleacts.org for additional information.

Bullying Prevention Begins With Developing High Self-Esteem | Corona, CA

Building up your child’s self-esteem is paramount to bullying prevention. When we help our children recognize and feel proud of, their accomplishments, we help teach them their worth. Over time, we can help him or her recognize how their strengths contribute to those around them, teaching them in turn how to repay that support to their peers. When a child is so busy focusing on their skills and cultivating new ones, they don’t have time to be a bully to others- they are busy improving themselves! Here are some easy ways to begin building your child’s self-esteem:

High-lows: At dinner, ask you child what their “highs” and “lows” for the day were. Maybe their “high” was helping a friend solve a math equation, and their “low” was experiencing bullying for being good at math. You can be proud of your child for their willingness to help while reinforcing that being good at math is a good thing, and that maybe the child who was being a bully about it, really just wants some help, because it’s not as easy for them to absorb.

Win-wins. Ask your child about their day, and when they share a moment in which they “won” i.e. felt good about themselves, or did a good thing, reinforce the behavior, and ask how they helped or can help in the future, someone else “wins” tomorrow.

When our children feel confident in themselves, they will move confidently through the world, helping to make it a better place for those around them.

If you would like to learn more about bullying, contact Simple Acts of Care and Kindness at 866-459-7225 or visit www.simpleacts.org for additional information.

Your Child Can Help Prevent Bullying, Here’s How | Corona, CA

Believe it or not, you can teach your child how to be an effective and empathetic support to their peers experiencing bullying. Here are five ways you can foster the notion within your child that he or she can be a champion for change and help prevent bullying.

  1. Communication starts in the home. Bullying can be a difficult topic to bring up with your child, but if you establish a foundation of trust with your child, they will be more likely to share their positive and negative experiences at school. When you make them feel safe and heard, they may begin to make their peers feel that way in kind.

2. Being a safe bystander. When children witness bullying, it can affect them too, even if they don’t directly engage in the situation. Help your child understand how he or she can help their classmate by offering to listen to their feelings or tell a teacher what’s going on, without getting directly involved.

3. Respond intentionally to conversations around bullying. When your child brings bullying to your attention, you can help them learn how they should respond, by being intentional with your response. Listen to him or her, ask questions that illicit a thoughtful response, and try to share how you feel he or she can act the next time they experience something similar.

4. Raise awareness. If your child is consistently sharing instances of bullying, share with him or her the ways they can safely take action, and reach out to adults closer to the situation to inform them of what you are being told. Raising awareness in your child about how to react, and within your community about the issue, is more likely to solve problems that prevent future bullying.

Visit StopBullying.gov for more helpful tips on how to prevent bullying, and have a great school year!

If you would like to learn more about bullying, contact Simple Acts of Care and Kindness at 866-459-7225 or visit www.simpleacts.org for additional information.