As much as I fully support this movement, I know that only wearing a pink shirt or slapping a pink shirt on my kid and sending them to school/preschool isn’t contributing to anti-bullying. However, IT IS a great way to get the conversation started and for us parents to ask ourselves how we can make it meaningful for our children.

How to Make Anti-Bullying Day Meaningful for Children

At first I thought my 3 year old was a bit young for this conversation, but I really got thinking about this after we moved. At our previous home, she went to Daycare / Preschool with many kids that she was great friends with, including one little boy who she also played with often at home. We then moved to a new town where she started a new preschool and didn’t know anyone. One night we were talking in bed and she told me she was sad because she didn’t have any friends here. My heart broke.

All I wanted was for her to fit in at preschool and I wanted to know that the kids there were kind and welcoming. I did not want her to feel like an “outsider”. It made me realize that bullying can start at any age. Thankfully, I don’t believe that’s the case for my daughter, but it just made me realize that it could happen anywhere at anytime. Turns out she is fitting in just fine and she now talks about her “friends” at preschool. We all know it just takes time to meet people.

To help my daughter feel better, we started reading some books about kindness and how other people can make you feel good, just as you can make them feel good! I was amazed how well the bucket filling concept went over with my 3 year old. This is a MUST read for all kids! We talk about it throughout the day, things we have done to fill up our buckets and yes, we are even reminded when we do things to empty our toddler’s bucket! They may or may not always be legit 😉

Have you read “Have you filled a bucket today”? If not, you need to get it! We borrowed this one from the public library, but you can also get them online, check the link above! Another favourite book is “The Coat of Many Colours” by Dolly Parton. Books are such a great way to start a conversation about bullying and how our words and actions can hurt other people.

You’ll need to read the books to find out all the details!

CHOOSE KIND

Every minute of every day we choose how we want to feel. Why not choose kind? Choose the way you want to feel and how you want your kids to feel!

I made this “be kind” shirt by colouring the letters with permanent fabric markers onto a plain pink t-shirt. I even printed out the letters and put the paper under the top side of the shirt to trace them. You can get fabric markers HERE. 

Headband by Sew Bright Creations. Use code BEKIND to get FREE SHIPPING on anything in Sew Bright’s Etsy Shop until Feb. 17/18.

How do you teach your children about anti-bullying?

Check this post from last week on a fun Valentine’s idea that also teaches kindness!

This post contains affiliate links; however the opinions and photos are of Sew Bright Creations’. Sew Bright Creations make a small commission when you purchase from the links to help keep this blog going. It is at NO extra cost to you. 

Want to collaborate? Email Jackie at [email protected].