(4) Bullying in Kindergarten

Does bullying really exist among kindergarten children? The answer is a clear yes. Research on bullying in kindergarten is still new. Nevertheless, all studies conducted in different countries have shown that bullying occurs at approximately the same rate in kindergarten as in elementary school. What may differ are the forms of harassment, but the general characteristics are similar. The main roles can be described as follows: Children

ho !re Bullies

e can obser"e children# whom we call bullies. They have fun in bullying a specific peer using a broad range of negative behaviors. These can include hiding shoes, destroying a picture, saying nasty things, refusing to sit beside one of the peers, or even beating, throwing stones and the like. ullies do not often use physical means to aggress their victim and seem to be very manipulative, knowing very well whom they can bully without retaliation, where they can do it unobserved, and even how to get peers to assist them. These children are aware of social norms and rules, but they have to learn to respect them. ho !re $assi"e %ictims

Children

!tudies show that about "# of kindergarten children can be categori$ed as &assi"e "ictims. These are children who are maltreated by the bully and some other peers %the bully&s assistants' on a regular basis and who do not retaliate when attacked. Teachers often tell us that these young victims are very kind children. (n our research, we find that these kindergarteners usually share things and help their peers. These passive victims also have difficulties saying: )No, ( don&t want this*+ ,urthermore, they play alone more often than other children and have difficulties making friends, approaching other children, asking peers to play, etc. (t would be of great help for these children to gain more self-confidence in social relationships. ho !re !ggressi"e %ictims

Children

There are also children who are themselves very aggressive in a peer group, and who [Link] become victimi$ed. e call them aggressi"e "ictims. These children are very impulsive and use physical aggression more often than bullies do. They seem to lack self-control and react too .uickly and aggressively to provocations or to what they perceive as such. /nd even if they defend themselves violently, they cannot stop the bullying. Their impulsiveness is also )used+ by the bullies, who know how to provoke them. These children also seem to lack skills that are helpful in finding friends0 they actually have few friends and are not liked by peers. ho !re !ssistants to Bullies

Children

There are also children in the group who do not initiate bullying, but sometimes assist the bullies. They feel that by assisting those kids who harass their peers

will make them popular in the group. 1owever, they often become victims themselves. Children

ho !re

itnesses to Bullying

,inally, about half of the children in a kindergarten group never bully peers and are never attacked by peers. !tudies show that these children often feel angry or sad when they witness bullying and sometimes try to help the victim. (n fact, these children can learn to help victims. This, however, has to be combined with clearly defined behavior rules in the class. Then, children can learn to tell bullies to stop %indicating that their behavior is )against the rules+' and to get help from the teacher, when the bully does not stop.

hat are the Conse'uences o( Bullying at this )oung !ge?

2sychosomatic symptoms - 3indergarten children who are harassed by their peers have been reported by parents and teachers to be stressed, to show different psychosomatic symptoms %for example, headaches', to be afraid of going to kindergarten and to show depressive symptoms. 2eer re4ection - (n studies, we find that bullying among younger children is very similar to bullying among school children0 it is a problem that concerns the whole group of children in the class as well as the adults %teachers and parents'. 3indergarten children like victims much less than non-involved peers and even bullies. /lso, victims lack friends who could protect them. We know that peer re4ection remains stable for years and has long-lasting negative [Link] for children&s well-being and social ad4ustment and also may lead to further victimi$ation. 5iven such evidence, it is clear that children who lack friends, who are not well accepted in the group and who even are victimi$ed need special attention and help.

6xperience with the prevention of bullying in kindergarten shows that teachers need to do the following:

,irst, they need to learn to make difference between bullying and more typical interpersonal conflicts between young children, and to recogni$e early and sometimes ambiguous signals of bullying and to do so early. !econdly, teachers need to understand that early interventions are necessary to stop bullying and that it is necessary to talk with the whole class and discuss acceptable and non-acceptable behavior. 7lear and early communication about bullying helps children who are victimi$ed %they feel supported and protected' and it helps bullies and their assistants who get a clear picture of what is allowed and what is not. (t also contributes to a feeling of security in the whole group, as children perceive that they are not left alone in difficult situations.

/lso, parents should be aware of their role as educators and models and communicate the same attitudes as teachers do. *ome +m&lications o( 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 unwillingness to go to kindergarten, stress or sadness of victimization, like

Listen to children when they report on trivial daily hassles that seem to upset them. !t may be one of many hassles. "alk with the children about good and bad things happening in the kindergarten group. "alk about the unfairness of bullying and provide children with alternative behaviors "each children to say no# $ive children an opportunity to feel competent $ive children who feel insecure in situations with peers some social training %se teaching methods and games that enhance integration of all children &ncourage children who are not involved in bullying to intervene when they witness such situations. "hey may be trained to tell the bully to stop, to ask the teacher to help or to include the victim in play situations.

'iscussion: 8. :. ;. <. =. (s bullying in kindergarten different from bullying in primary or secondary school9 What are the typical roles among kindergarten children in relation to bullying9 What [Link] do the victims of bullying suffer9 1ow can we help children who are bullied by their peers9 >id you experience bullying in kindergarten9 /nd later9