The three kinds of bullying ...

There are three main types of bullying.

Physical bullying means

  • hitting, kicking or pushing someone, or just threatening to do it
  • stealing, hiding, or breaking someone's things
  • making someone do things they don't want to do

Verbal bullying means

  • calling someone names
  • teasing them
  • insulting them or people they care about

Relationship bullying means

  • refusing to talk to someone or let them play with you
  • spreading lies or rumours about someone
  • making someone do things they don't want to do
 

What do all these things have in common? They're examples of ways one person can make another person feel hurt, afraid, or uncomfortable. When these are done to someone more than once, and usually over and over again for a long period of time, that's bullying.

The reason why one kid would want to bully another kid is this: when you make someone feel bad, you gain power over him or her.

Power makes people feel like they're better than another person, and then that makes them feel really good about themselves. Power also makes you stand out from the crowd. It's a way to get attention from other kids, and even from adults.