Taking a Stand Against Bullying

On the first day of school, most children are excited to see their friends and meet new teachers. Unfortunately, many children must once again face bullying from other kids in or around the school. This bullying takes many forms, no longer restricted to physical intimidation or name calling, and goes way beyond the schoolyard. Nowadays, bullying can follow a child home on social media.

Thankfully, parents and school officials today are much more attuned to the problem of bullying and its impact than in the past. We recognize the need to do whatever we can to help our children focus on learning and fun in school, rather than fear, worry, and aggression. But we still need tools that help us go beyond pat answers and empty platitudes to give our kids real help when it comes to bullying. A new ebook from Kids Corner offers some tools, grounded in Scripture, in this effort.

Growing up in the 1970s, I occasionally faced bullying from other boys at school or in the neighborhood. Adults most often responded to my anxiety with advice like, “Just ignore them and they’ll go away.” Many assumed the best way to deal with a bully was to call on an older sibling. Well...as the oldest child in my family, I was the older sibling and did plenty of sticking up for my younger sibs, but that didn’t help much with my own bullying. A few adults advised fighting: “If they know you’ll fight, they’ll leave you alone.”

They were all wrong; the boys bullying me did not just go away because I ignored them, I didn’t have a big sibling to come to my rescue, and too often I did have to fight because that’s what these boys wanted in the first place. I really needed the adults in my life to step into the gap for me, protect me, and equip me to stand up to bullying effectively. 

That’s what the authors of Power Tools: Take a Stand Against Bullying set out to do in the new ebook from Kids Corner. It’s a free resource filled with biblical truths, stories, and advice to help families talk about bullying:

• Confidence that God never leaves them alone in trouble
• Determination to stand up for his or herself to put a stop to the bullying
• Empathy to take action to help someone else who is being bullied
• Humility to ask, “Have I ever bullied someone?”    

Kids Corner is a production of ReFrame Media, the English language ministry of Back to God Ministries International. Kids Corner is simply stuffed with fun resources that can help your child discover their part in God’s Big Story. Check out the Liz & Friends podcast, tons of audio Bible stories, devotions, crafts, and more.

Subscribe to Kids Corner’s free weekly email and get Power Tools: Take a Stand Against Bullying.