No parent wants to discover their child is being bullied, but with bullying occuring across all age groups, it' eseential that parents recognise the signs their child is being bullied.
With approximately 33% of elementary school children reporting being bullied, what signs do we need to look for?
Just how can you tell if your child is being bullied?
Read on to discover some of the main signs to look out for and how to identify if your child is being bullied.
1. Missing Belongings and Unexplained Injuries
Two of the most common signs of bullying in younger children are missing belongings and unexplained injuries.
Does your child regularly come home from school without some of the things they took in?
Books, clothes and toys are just some of the belongings a bully may take from another child.
Unexplained injuries are also a tell-tale sign of bullying.
Physical bullying tends to be more common in boys than it is girls.
However, it’s still important to remember that both genders are capable of partaking in physical bullying.
The key thing to remember here, is that it’s common for young children to both lose things and injure themselves.
So, you’ll need to watch out for frequent incidents, rather than a one-off scrape on the knee or them coming home one time with something missing.
2. Emotional Changes
The majority of children who are bullied tend to show more emotional signs of being bullied than physical ones.
Have you noticed a significant change in their behaviour recently?
If your child tends to change before and right after school and appears much happier at the weekend or during school holidays, it could be a strong sign they’re having issues at school.
Many young children will refuse to go to school, or at least display a lot of distress before they have to go.
They may also start to withdraw and become quite evasive, especially when asked about school.
These red flags may mean you need to investigate further so ask some gentle questions to find out what's going on.
3. Changes in Their Sleeping Pattern
Many young children who are being bullied, tend to have issues sleeping.
It could be they don’t sleep as much, or they may even start to wet the bed.
They could also experience more nightmares and be reluctant to get out of bed in the morning.
Having troubl sleeping or other sleep issues can be a response to fear and anxiety and should be taken seriously if they don’t usually have issues at night time.
These are just some of the most common signs of bullying to look out for.
You know your child so any emotional or sleep changes should be easy to pick up on.
If you do spot any of these signs, or anything else that worries you, it is worth asking your child if they’re being bullied.
Some may not want to admit it, but if it is confirmed, you can then focus on getting to the bottom of the issue.
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