The Hand Diagram

A simple way of enabling children to think about what they can do when somebody tries to bully them is to make use of the hand diagram.

It draws attention to a sequence of possible responses from ignoring what the bully is saying or doing to taking decisive action. It has some important features:

1. It provides the target with a clear plan as to what to do.
2. By not feeling that they need to report any attempted bullying automatically, targeted children may become empowered to solve the problem themselves.
3. If they are able to solve the problem themselves, teacher intervention becomes unnecessary.
4. When a teacher simply instructs children to 'tell' whenever they feel threatened, there is a real risk that the teacher will be overwhelmed with demands from children, some of whom could help themselves. 
5. The hand diagram is easy for children to remember!