Teaching Ideas for Anti-Bullying Week

Try out some of our teaching ideas for an Anti-Bullying event. If you have any other ideas of your own, let us know by adding a comment!

Anti-Bullying Week takes place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in November each year. Of course, the ideas and resources below can be used at any time of the year.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English:

• Make a collection of books that deal with bullying, like There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom or The Boy at the Back of the Class.
• Create an information sheet about bullying. Use ours as an example.
• Create a class book of “What makes a good friend”.
• Write a playscript that includes a bullying scenario and act it out.
• Rewrite fairy tales with anti-bullying themes, such as The Ugly Duckling or Cinderella.
• Write a letter to a child who is being bullied. What encouragement and advice would you give them?
• Write diary entries from the perspective of someone experiencing bullying, or from someone who is bullying someone.
• Interview classmates about what kindness means to them.
• Collect vocabulary that could be used to describe bullying behaviour.
• Write a letter to persuade the head teacher to have a new rule about kindness. How will you convince them that it is a good idea? How will it help with bullying?
• Download the debate activity from the Family Lives website and hold a class debate.
• Improvise a scene of bullying, then discuss what happened and how the people involved could respond to it.

Science:

• Watch this video that explains the science of kindness.

• Teach breathing techniques to help children regulate their emotions in stressful situations.

Computing:

• Design digital posters explaining what bullying is and what you can do about it.
• Use this lesson from Teach ICT to discuss cyberbullying and what we can do about it.
• Create a digital comic strip about standing up to bullying.
• Create a list of respectful behaviours online. What behaviours are unacceptable? Are any of them bullying?
• Design a game in Scratch where players earn points for kindness or defend a character from bullies.
• Play this great game from Boston Vs Bullies.

Design Technology:

• Design a “buddy bench” for the playground.
• Discuss how spaces can affect bullying behaviour. For example, bullying is less likely to take place where it can be seen by lots of people. Think about how a space could be designed or changed to make it more open and visible.
• Watch this idea from Wallace and Gromit. List the advantages and disadvantages of the bully proof vest, then design your own anti-bullying product.

• Build a kindness mailbox for children to write anonymous notes.

Art:

• Try some of these anti-bullying arts and crafts.
• This rainbow activity encourages children to think about their responses to how they are treated.
• Create a tableau showing an act of kindness, and photograph it.
• Design bookmarks with anti-bullying slogans.

Music:

• Listen to songs that deal with bullying themes, like Beautiful by Christina Aguilera.

• Use percussion instruments to show different emotions. What would you use, and how would you play it, to show anger, or fear?
• Write a song about standing up to bullying.
• Create a playlist of songs that promote positivity and kindness.
• Try some group singing games.

Geography:

• Visit the websites of international anti-bullying organisations, such as International Bullying Prevention Association and European Antibullying Network. Find local organisations in your own country.
• Discuss how people in your class have family in different countries, different skin colours, speak different languages and so on. Make a map showing all the countries people’s families have come from, or the languages they speak.

History:

• Watch this video about Ruby Bridges and discuss how she stood up to unfairness and bullying.

• Make a list of historical figures who stood up to unfair treatment, such as Nelson Mandela.

Physical Education:

• Play some team-building games. This page has some great ideas.
• Create an obstacle course that requires children to work together to complete it. For example, put the children into pairs, one is blindfolded and the other has to guide them.
• Enjoy this anti-bullying themed Go Noodle exercise routine.

• Use these lesson plans from the Child Protection in Sport Unit to look at bullying in sport and how it can be tackled.

Languages:

• Learn greetings in multiple languages.
• Create dual language posters with anti-bullying messages.

PSHE:

• Download our Anti-bullying Pack to access many useful resources.

• Try some of our teaching ideas for the Rock Paper Scissors video.
• Download the Anti-bullying Alliance’s Primary School Pack, which has cross-curricular and assembly resources.
• These BBC Bitesize resources can be used with older children.
• Research organisations that can help, like Childline in the UK.
• Use these scenarios to discuss issues around bullying.
• Download the Summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and share it with the class. Talk about it in relation to bullying and how that affects children’s rights.
• Discuss the difference between friendly teasing and hurtful teasing. How do you know if the other person is comfortable with it? What can you do if someone’s teasing is making you feel uncomfortable?
• Make a list of people who can help you if you are being bullied, or if you know someone who is.