Bullying in Kindergarten (continued)

Our experience with the prevention of bullying in kindergarten shows that teachers need to do the following:

• First, they need to learn to differentiate between bullying and more typical interpersonal conflicts between young children, and and to recognize early and the sometimes ambiguous signals of bullying and to do so early on.
• Secondly, teachers need to understand that early interventions are necessary to stop bullying and that it is necessary to talk with the whole class and discuss acceptable and non-acceptable behavior. Clear and early communication about bullying helps children who are victimized (they feel supported and protected) and it helps bullies and their assistants who get a clear picture of what is allowed and not. It also contributes to a feeling of security in the whole group, as children perceive that they are not left alone in awkward situations.

Also, parents should be aware of their role as educators and models and communicate the same attitudes as teachers do.

Some Implications of our Knowledge about Bullying in Kindergarten:

• Bullying is unfair and adults must take it seriously as early as in kindergarten.
• Be aware of social, indirect, hidden and ambiguous forms of bullying; they already occur in kindergarten.
• Pay attention to symptoms and possible indicators of victimization, like unwillingness to go to kindergarten, stress or sadness
• Listen to children when they report on “trivial” daily hassles that seem to upset them. It may be one of many hassles.
• Talk with the children about “good and bad things” happening in the kindergarten group.
• Talk about the unfairness of bullying and provide children with alternative behaviors
• Teach children to say no!
• Give children an opportunity to feel competent
• Give children who feel insecure in situations with peers some social training
• Use teaching forms and games that enhance integration of all children
• Encourage children who are not involved in bullying to intervene when they witness such situations. They may be trained to tell the bully to stop, to ask the teacher to help or to include the victim in play situations.

All recommendations listed above are part of our prevention program against bullying in kindergarten and school (7).

Some papers from our team on bullying in kindergarten:

Alsaker, F. D. (2004). The Bernese program against victimization in kindergarten and elementary school (Be-Prox). In P. K. Smith, D. Pepler, & K. Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? (pp.289-306). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Alsaker, F. D., & Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, E. (in press). Social behavior and peer relationships of victims, bully-victims, and bullies in kindergarten. In S. R. Jimerson, S. M. Swearer, & D. L. Espelage (Eds.), The International Handbook of School Bullying. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

Alsaker, F. D., & Nägele, C (in press, 2008). Bullying in kindergarten and prevention. In W. Craig, & D. Pepler (Eds.), An International Perspective on Understanding and Addressing Bullying. PREVNet Series, Volume I. PREVNet: Kingston, Canada.

Alsaker, F. D., & Nägele, C (submitted, July 2008). Vulnerability to victimization in kindergarten: Need for a differentiation between passive and aggressive victims. Merril-Palmer Quarterly.

Alsaker, F. D., & Valkanover, S. (2001). Early diagnosis and prevention of victimization in kindergarten. In J. Juvonen, & S. Graham (Eds.), Peer harassment in school: the plight of the vulnerable and victimized (pp. 175-195). Guilford Press. Valkanover, S.,