10 Bullying Scenarios to Get Kids Talking

Bullying is a pervasive problem that we want to help kids to be equipped to handle. Bullying can hurt kids physically, emotionally, and academically. This article proposes 10 bullying scenarios to help kids collaboratively and proactively prevent and navigate real-life situations. It also includes a resource for adults, who are often not present when bullying occurs. The 14 Warning Signs of Bullying Resource is designed to help adults, including teachers and caregivers, recognize and respond to the warning signs of bullying.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is the act of seeking to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone, who is often perceived as vulnerable. According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.” Bullying means that a person is intentionally causing pain to another person, whether physically, emotionally, or electronically.

Bullying may be verbal, physical, or social.

Bullying affects younger children but the problem can worsen for older children. As their social worlds become more complex and interconnected online and offline, kids will inevitably encounter bullying in the real world and in the virtual one. They will need to respond to situations in which they recognize or are affected by bullying.

The Dangers of Bullying

Bullying can threaten kids’ physical and emotional safety and can impede their ability to learn. The effects of bullying include stress, anxiety, depression, and humiliation. The result of bullying can be serious mental health problems. When kids are anxious, fearful, and depressed, they also suffer cognitively. This means that they cannot focus or achieve academically and socially at school.

Bullying has terrible effects on all those involved, including the target of bullying behavior, the person exhibiting bullying behaviors, and bystanders. It is critical that children and adults know ways to recognize bullying and strategies and skills to help stop it. It is helpful to have early conversations about bullying and to give children and adults tools to identify bullying before they encounter it.

Bullying Scenarios

Preparing to manage experiences before they occur will allow kids to better manage them in real time. Early conversations about bullying can help prepare students for when they encounter bullying situations.

Hypothetical bullying scenarios are an excellent tool for presenting real-life examples that students may not anticipate without the heightened emotions that students may experience in real social settings. Scenarios allow kids time to think clearly on the issues presented while they collaborate with peers. In group  discussions, ask kids to imagine themselves in the following bullying situations and describe what they would do.

New Kid

A new student started at your school this week, and he is having trouble fitting in. Some of your friends have been laughing behind his back.
What would you do?

Turned Tables

You receive an email telling an embarrassing story about another student who has often been mean to you. You know your friends would think it’s funny.
What would you do?

Mean Kid

The meanest kid at school thinks it’s fun to tease you every chance she gets. You’re afraid she’s going to hurt you, and you’re starting to hate school.
What would you do?

Fighting Chance

Someone shoves you and wants to fight you. You want to stick up for yourself, but you don’t want to get into a fight.
What would you do?

Unwelcome Invitation

Everyone is afraid of three mean kids at your school. You’re afraid, too. One day they ask you to hang out with them.
What would you do?

Forward Faux Pas

You sent a mean text about a kid who bullies to a friend, and your friend forwarded it to others. It eventually got back to the kid.
What would you do?

On Your Own

You report bullying to your teacher, but the teacher doesn’t believe you.
What would you do?

Rumors

You hear that someone you thought was a friend has been spreading a cruel and untrue rumor about you.
What would you do?

Left Out

You’re invited to a party, but your friend isn’t. At the party, some of the kids make jokes about your friend and laugh at him.
What would you do?

Shy Sigh

You’re shy, and sometimes you get teased for it. You have to admit, it would be nice to have more friends.
What would you do?

Recognizing Bullying

Research shows that quick and consistent adult responses to bullying sends the message that it is not acceptable and can stop bullying behavior over time. Strategies involving adults, including caregivers, teachers, administrators, can help kids in several ways. Prevention strategies, efforts to create a safe environment, and leading transparent conversations about bullying are effective.

Because of the terrible effects of bullying, teachers must also be able to recognize and respond to signs of bullying involving students at school. Only 20 to 30 percent of students who are bullied notify adults (Ttofi et al, 2011) and most bullying occurs when adults are not present. It’s crucial to know the warning signs.

The effects of bullying are far-reaching and affect kids in schools everywhere. Bullying scenarios can help kids recognize and respond to bullying when they encounter it in the real world or the virtual world. And adults, including caregivers and teachers, can be aware of more subtle warning signs of bullying so that they can support kids and prevent bullying for everyone’s benefit.

Ttofi, M. M., Farrington, D. P., Lösel, F., & Loeber, R. (2011). The predictive efficiency of school bullying versus later offending: a systematic/meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Criminal behaviour and mental health : CBMH, 21(2), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.808