Teaching a child to stop, think, and go helps to give them time to clearly understand the situation before acting on their first instinct. By stopping to think before acting, the child can decide where to go. Whether they need to get out of the way to defend themselves, go to an adult or supervisor, or go talk to a parent or friend about the situation. It is important to teach children to think about their actions before reacting.
Teach your children to have self-confidence and recognize bullying or conflicts. If a child is confident when getting in a conflict or being bullied, they are more likely to stick up for themselves. If a kid is bullying another kid and that child sticks up for themselves, the bully is more likely to back down. It is vital to also teach self-control when talking about this subject. You want your child to stick up for himself, but you do not want them to act out or bully back.
Find a mentor, other than yourself, that can help you child with conflicts and bullying. An older brother or sister, cousin or neighbor would be a great mentor in this situation. If there is a young adult or preteen who they can talk to, your child might listen to them in a different way. The child may think that because the mentor is not a parent yet has similar experiences that they can take their advice.
Talk to your child about using the buddy system. Make it clear that he should never roam the halls, lunchroom or playground without a buddy that they can trust. A bully will only approach someone that they think they have the advantage, and sticking with a child who avoids trouble and is trustworthy will help your child avoid conflict.