Anti-bullying Week 2018: Activities for your pupils

Get involved in this year's Anti-Bullying Week, held between the 12th and 16th November.

Organised by Anti-Bullying Alliance, the aim of the week is to raise awareness in all schools, settings and organisations of the short and long-term impacts of bullying.

Bullying can affect anyone, from young children to adults; it is important for us to tackle this behaviour in our settings to ensure everyone's safety. Anti-Bullying Week recognises this need, helping us all to think about ways to be proactive in supporting those around us.

A recent survey suggests that one child in every classroom has been bullied every single day during the past six months. More than four in five of the 1,000 children surveyed saw pupils bullying each other, while more than two in five have witnessed adults bullying each other over the past six months. These instances occur in both face-to-face and online interactions.

With these statistics in mind, we need to think about how we're communicating anti-bulling messages in schools and settings. The theme for this year's Anti-Bullying Week is 'choose respect',  encouraging children and adults to be mindful about using respectful language towards each other. Whether you're speaking face-to-face or online, words carry great power and can easily stick, causing long-term harm and potential trauma.

Anti-Bullying Week activities

There are plenty of accessible resources on the Bullying UK website. Our favourites include:

The #ChooseKindness resource: click here

We love this simple activity to help children think about positive affirmations. Using those provided, or by adding their own, children can pass words of positivity around the classroom. Make sure everybody receives at least one word and use the activity to talk about how it feels to be given an affirmation and how this might help someone who is being bullied. Think about the words you use around the classroom; ask children to consider how powerful it can be to feel kindness from somebody else.

Anti-bullying advice activity: click here

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to do if somebody is being bullied. This is a great resource to use with young people. Please bear in mind that themes include suicide and violence; do not use this sheet if you feel this may be triggering for those you are working with.

Go through each 'agony aunt' problem, asking young people to think about what they might do in a similar situation. How might they support a friend experiencing the same thing?

Superhero masks: click here

We really like this resource for younger children. Invite them to colour, paint, or use whatever they like to decorate their own superhero masks!

They are perfect for any budding superhero who wants to make a different in their school or setting, standing firmly against bullying and encouraging perpetrators to think a little more deeply about their actions.

If you'd like to find some more resources to look at in your school or setting, including flash cards and a debating activity, please click here.

Anti-Bullying Alliance are encouraging everybody to wear blue for this year's event. Whether you're dressing up, taking part in anti-bullying activities or raising money, we'd love to see your photos!

Share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or via email.

Remember to use the hashtags #antibullyingweek and #abw18 - we look forward to seeing what you're all up to!

Over to you

Reduced anxiety and behavioural incidents. Calmer classrooms filled with engaged leaners. Improved relationships with parents and carers. These are just some of the outcomes reported by settings embedding Thrive’s whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Are you ready to join them? Click here to get started.