IN Moon Township Summer 2018

INDUSTRY INSIGHT EARLY EDUCATION SPONSORED CONTENT PREVENTING BULLYING FROM AN EARLY AGE T o ensure that our children treat others fairly and speak up when they see a peer being bullied, we should start teaching them these behaviors while they are young and build on their natural ability to show empathy. Recently, a Harris poll found that two-thirds of parents worry about their preschoolers or kindergarteners being bullied. This concerning result should inspire us to have deeper conversations on the subject and develop new and creative ways to educate and inform our youngsters about READY. SET. GOddard! We help children explore and discover their interests through play in a safe environment. Highly trained teachers gently guide and encourage children every step of the way as they grow, develop and achieve important milestones. CALL TODAY! MOON TOWNSHIP • 412-262-1821 800 Commerce Avenue what bullying really is, how they can prevent it and how to find the appropriate channels for reporting it, if or when it occurs. BULLYING VS. TYPICAL BEHAVIOR Bullying differs from typical day-to-day conflicts. Toddlers are starting to explore their independence and using their new vocabulary to assert it. If a peer tries to play with a toy a toddler wants, the back-and-forth “Mine!” game begins. This is typical toddler behavior. Bullying involves behavior that is aggressive, intentional and intended to intimidate a specific peer. Determining what is bullying and what is normal behavior for toddlers is difficult because young children are still learning right from wrong and acceptable play behavior. Bullying typically involves three roles: the perpetrator, the victim and the bystander. Empathy, a key tool in dealing with and preventing bullying, comes naturally to most humans and shows up as early as the toddler years (picture a toddler offering a hug or a stuffed animal to a friend who feels sad). FOSTERING EMPATHY AND TEACHING CHILDREN TO SPEAK UP As parents, our duty is to foster empathy in our children. We can pay close attention to small acts of kindness our children display, praise them for being considerate and encourage them to speak up when someone is being mistreated. Since bullying is fueled by silence, we can help stop it by teaching our children to treat others kindly and speak up at appropriate times. This Industry Insight was written by Dina Speranza & Carol Maier. They are the owners of The Goddard School®, located at 800 Commerce Avenue in Moon Township. Goddard offers both full- and part-time Infant/Preschool/ Kindergarten programs. For more information, visit goddardschool.com/Pittsburgh or call 412.262.1821. GoddardSchool.com The Goddard Schools are operated by independent franchisees under a license agreement with Goddard Systems, Inc. Programs and ages may vary. © Goddard Systems, Inc. 2018. License #00110527 , # 102804800-0001 MOON TOWNSHIP ❘ SUMMER 2018 39

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