The holiday season is here and that means people of all backgrounds are getting ready to celebrate their winter holidays and traditions. This season, it’s important to remind kids to respect each other’s differences of faith and culture. Children of any religion or faith may be bullied because of faith-related activities, like celebrating holidays that may be less familiar to others. Although some traditions might look different from their own, kids should treat all traditions with respect, and be kind to their peers celebrating them. When kids and adults work together to create a supportive environment for all students, it helps prevent bullying.
How to Create a Safe Environment for Diverse Students Safe and supportive environments help to prevent bullying before it starts. Building a safe and supportive environment in or outside the classroom is key to helping keep diverse students safe from bullying. To create a safe environment, everyone has to work together to make it clear that bullying behavior is not okay. This holiday season, try making your environment safer and more supportive for all students by:
Teaching students about other winter faith and cultural traditions to prevent stereotypes. Help students understand some of the ways another cultural celebration is similar and different from their favorite holiday tradition.
Promoting a culture of respect and inclusion that welcomes all students. Reward students when they show thoughtfulness or respect for their peers or adults.
Creating ground rules that use positive terms like what kids should do to be respectful toward their peers instead of what kids should not do. Then, make sure to reinforce those rules.
Role modelling positive behaviors. When you support all students’ faith and cultural traditions and celebrations, you encourage kids to support them, too.
Support from other kids and adults can make a big difference to help prevent bullying this holiday season. When teachers, parents, and caregivers are committed to creating a safe space for students of all backgrounds, it encourages a culture of respect that keeps everyone safe from bullying. After all, holidays should be joyful! Let’s celebrate joyfully and kindly to help stop bullying for good.
