2022 The Year We STAND – The How
In our last blog post, we talked about why we should take a STAND in 2022. Now we’re going to talk about the how.
Let’s come up with some ideas for resolutions to create habits of kindness and empathy in 2022.
- Gain an understanding of bullying. Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.
- Maybe your resolution could be having a weekly discussion about the different types of bullying and actions you can do to stop it. This might be a manageable approach to learning, thinking about, or trying new ideas.
- Create more communication in your home. Research tells us that children really do look to parents and caregivers for advice and help on tough decisions. Spending a few minutes a day talking about various topics can reassure kids that they can talk to their parents if they have a problem. Start conversations about daily life and feelings with questions like these:
- What was one good thing that happened today? Any bad things?
- What is lunch time like at your school? Who do you sit with? What do you talk about?
- What is it like to ride the school bus?
- What are you good at? What do you like best about yourself?
- Encourage kids to do what they love. Building confidence and friendships can help protect kids from bullying. Some of the best ways to do this are to get kids involved in activities that give them a chance to have fun and meet others with similar interests.
- Help kids try out and explore a new activity or interest.
- Kids can volunteer, play sports, sing, get involved in plays or musicals, join a youth group, or a school club.
These are some general suggestions. Brainstorm more specific resolutions together! How can we use our new growth to strengthen ourselves and each other?
How can we change in order to become the upstanders this world needs?
Let’s do it together!
Resources:
How to Make New Year’s Resolutions for Kids
Parenting: Teaching kids empathy can reduce anxiety, bullying