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Who will Stop the Bullying?

Many people ask, “How can I stop the bullying when I am a bystander to bullying?”

UPTV did a social experiment to understand the behaviour of bystanders. They placed three teenage girls to enact a bullying scenario at a public place.

The two bullies in the video start with “Do you have any friends at all?” and go on to act mean by verbally abusing the third girl like, “Did you audition for the musical? People told me you sounded like a dying pig.”

Slowly passers-by intervene. One man showed a kind gesture of playing a harmonica to the victim.

One of the bullies tell the victim in the video, “You definitely do need make up”. A woman replies, “No, she do not”.

The girls go on to say, “Everyone at school think you are a freak because you read all the time”. A security guard waiting for the bus tells the girls, “Don’t mess with her” and goes on to tell the victim, “You keep reading”.

Many people tried to help her by inviting her to go and sit next to her and to offer to sit next to her in the bus.

One in three children get bullied

That is an alarming number. Should the bystanders remain silent? Who will stop the bullying? It is all of us. By taking small, seemingly insignificant actions, we can collectively make a difference in the lives of today’s children and tomorrow’s adults. Are you ready for that?

Check our programs on Growth Mindset Camp and Public Speaking Camp for children to see how you could develop confidence, communication and set-leadership skills in your child.

Do you want to make others also a part of the fight against bullying? You can do a lot to stop the bullying.

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Do you have any tip on how to curb bullying? Send us a comment below.

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The Kidz Parade Magazine

Are you looking for a special present for an adorable child? Why don’t you give a present that will leave a lifetime positive impact? When you give The Kidz Parade Edutainment Magazine as a present, you are opening the door to a world of Creativity and Communication.

About Sindu Sreebhavan

Sindu Sreebhavan is the founder of As Many Minds Minds Pte Ltd and the founding Chief Editor of The Kidz Parade Edutainment magazine, Asia's premium publication for cultivating creativity and creative writing in children. Sindu is also the founder and the Chairperson of International Youth Leadership and Innovation Forum (IYLIF). Sindu is the author of 'Infinite Possibilities' and the lead co-author of Amazon bestseller 'Breakthrough'. With a passion to infuse innovation in education and inject growth mindset and innovative mindset in people and organisations, Sindu writes, speaks and consults on innovation and creativity in business and education. She says innovation does not start with invention, it starts with a mindset. “The best gift you can give a child is the power of Confidence, Creativity and Communication” is her tagline. She is passionate about educating educators, parents and children about youth development, youth leadership, education innovation and 21st century education. She supports children, parents, schools and several organisations in these areas.

Critical Thinking: One thing you must do to cultivate critical thinking in your child

Posted by Sindu Sreebhavan on

September 13, 2015

A survey by World Economic Forum lists Critical Thinking as one of the top two skills required to thrive. Critical Thinking Skills has found its rank going up in that list over the years. Unfortunately, schools are not providing much opportunities to develop critical thinking skills. What about you? Are you providing enough opportunities for your child to develop and cultivate this skill?

Universities look out for students with critical thinking skills and corporates are giving more importance to creative problem solving skills when they hire new employees. During the teenage years, it is the critical thinking skills that help children to figure out the kind of people they want to hang out with, the kind of habits they want to avoid and the kind of pursuits they want to undertake. That shows how important critical thinking is in every aspect of our lives. The good news is, it is a skill that can be developed.

Where are the Opportunities available to improve critical thinking skills?

Education leader Ellen Galinsky lists Critical thinking as one of the 7 essential life skills every child needs in her book Mind the making. The good news is that critical thinking is a life skill that can be cultivated.

Everyday, your child comes across various opportunities to challenge themselves as well as to figure out how this world works. These are opportunities that present themselves to them to cultivate their critical thinking and creative problem solving skills.

Understand your child’s critical thinking skills

Does your child think everything they watch on the TV is true? Does your child blindly believe everything their friends say or do they make judgments and conclusions after thinking through it? Whether your child is a kindergartner or a high school student, there are many things you can do to cultivate and support their creative thinking skills.

The one thing you must do to cultivate critical thinking skills in your child

The most important factor that helps creative problem solving is powerful questioning. It is the questions that define the path of our thinking. What do you ask your child when they come back from school? Do you ask them “How was the school?” or “Did you eat your lunch?” or “What did you learn today?” From today onwards, why don’t you ask them “What questions did you ask today?”

This simple question could prompt your child to understand the importance of asking questions. It will provide inspiration to be not just a learner, but also a thinker and a communicator. Isidor I. Rabi, the Nobel laureate physicist gives credit to this very question by his parents as the reason he had become a scientist. With the ever-increasing population and limited natural resources we have today, critical thinking is not a nice to have skill anymore, it is an essential skill. Your child’s success in their future jobs will depend on how creatively they solve problems.

Do you want to know how you can make thinking more visible to your child? You might be interested in this.

So, what did you ask today?

Share this article with your friends and colleagues, so that they too are aware of this amidst their busy schedules.

Do you have any insights or tips that you use? Would you like to share that? Please use the comments section below and let us know!