Anti Bullying Pledge for Students to Help End Bullying

Inside: Encourage kids to be upstanders and feel empowered to stand up to bullying behavior with this anti bullying pledge.

My niece just started Kindergarten and as I was chatting with my sister, she mentioned that another kid, a 5 year old, was being bullied.

It happens every day, on playgrounds around the world, and it starts shockingly young. Bullying begins on the preschool and kindergarten playgrounds.

Which is heartbreaking.

And schools, in all honesty, have no clue how to handle it because until a few decades ago, it was written off as “kids will be kids.”

We now understand the harmful and long-lasting impact bullying has, and as a society, we’ve finally decided bullying is bad.

Which is great.

Except authority figures (teachers, yard duty staff, child care providers, administrators, coaches, Scout leaders), often have no idea how to handle bullying when it happens and they have no idea how to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Schools often hang anti-bullying posters up, and the bullying behavior still happens. Anti Bullying Posters alone will not cut it.

We have to change the culture of our schools. We have to educate the adults so they don’t actively victim shame or make it worse.

But we also have to empower our students to be upstanders and stand up against bullying behavior and stand with students who have been bullied so it’s less likely to happen again.

We can bully proof our kids, but we also have to actively and intentionally teach children what bullying is, why it’s not okay, and how to handle it when they see it or hear it.

One way we can do that is by using this Anti Bullying Pledge with kids.

Why is Teaching Kids to be Upstanders Essential to End Bullying?

Every student has the right to safe learning environment. They have a right to come to school and to be safe and feel safe. This is a job for adults and we have to step up.

But, our kids can play a powerful role in reducing bullying behavior in our schools.

First, they can obviously not become a bully themselves.

Second, they can become includers to ensure everyone feels welcome and included and has a safe place to play.

And third, we can teach them and encourage them to become upstanders- people who stand up for others– rather than be a bystander who witnesses it quietly.

So how do we teach kids to be upstanders and to say something when they see something?

We have to practice and give them the words to say.

We have to empower them and build up their courage to say something.

And we can help them internalize it by having them recite an Anti-Bullying Pledge often.

How to Use the Anti Bullying Pledge

1. Download and print the version you wish to use (color or black and white). You can download it below.

2. Talk to kids about what a pledge is (pact, promise) and connect it to other pledges or promises they make (Pledge of Allegiance, Scout Promise, etc.)

Related: Kindness Promise

3. Explain what bullying is (and what it isn’t).

There are 4 kinds of bullying:

physical,
social,
emotional,/mental and
cyberbullying

Bullying is repetitive and consistent, deliberate, and represents an imbalance of power (or perceived imbalance of power).

Bullying becomes illegal harassment when the behavior is targeted toward someone because of their:

race/ethnicity,
religion,
gender,
sexual orientation,
disability,
medical need,
or national origin

3. Talk about why it’s important to stand up to bullying behavior and help stop it (bullying hurts, being bullied feels lonely and scary, bullying behavior is common in schools, especially when adults aren’t around to see it or hear it).

Research has shown that bullying will stop in 10 seconds or less 57% of the time if just one child stands up to the bullying behavior (Craig & Pepler, 1997).

Need more ways to talk about bullying with kids?

Turn to books! Here are our favorite Anti-bullying books but our favorite is:

One by Kathryn Otoshi

4. Brainstorm and practice different ways they can stand up to bullying/unkind behavior:

say ‘No’! or say ‘Stop!’
get adult help
stand by the child being bullied so they’re not alone
Question the behavior: ‘Why are you saying that?’ or ‘Why are you treating her that way?’

5. Encourage the kids to color the pledge and then read it together, often.

I know that bullying is never okay.

So when I see it or when I hear it,

I will LOUDLY say:

‘STOP!’ ‘NO!’ ‘You can’t do that!’

I have the power to help someone,

And be a friendly face.

It only takes the voice of one:

Here, bullying has no place.

Consider reading it together daily to ensure they remember it so that when they’re confronted with a situation, they feel courageous enough to be an upstander and stand up for others (or themselves!)