• Tips for talking about bullying with your child when they are bullying others:

    • Make it clear that bullying is wrong and that you take it seriously
    • Make family rules and consequences for your child’s behavior and when rules are broken
    • Establish positive reinforcements when your child follows the rules
    • Spend time with your child and keep a close track of his or her activities
    • Find out who their friends are and how they spend their time
    • Build on your child’s talents and involve them in positive activities
    • Share concerns with the school so they can support the rules you have set up for your child, they can monitor behavior during school to make sure the bullying stops and your child is getting a consistent message
    • If you or your child need more help, talk with the school counselor and/or a mental health professional

    For more information on bullying go to:

    Center for Safe Schools:   http://www.safeschools.info/bullying-prevention

    Federal Stopbullying:  http://www.stopbullying.gov/

     

    In Your Shoes: Cultivating Empathy for Positive Youth Relationships
    Why does empathy matter?  Empathy is a basic human need.  It is important for people to make connections with each other, sense other people’s emotions and to be understood by each other. 

    Empathy allows us to:

    • Be able to imagine the world as others see it
    • Not judge others
    • Understand how others may feel
    • Better communicate with others about our feelings and other people’s feelings 

    Teaching our children to value different views of the world, listen to each other and having a safe place for kids to positively work together is important in developing healthy adults.

    For additional information on social emotional learning programs, visit:

    CASEL:  www.casel.org

    Center for Schools and Communities:  http://www.icanproblemsolve.info/