Maintain open communication with your children. Talk to them every day about details small and large. How did their classes go? What do they have for homework that night? Who'd they sit with at lunch? Who'd they play with at recess? Listen carefully and be responsive to show interest. Your kids will know if you're distracted or just going through the motions, so pay attention.
Take complaints seriously, whether they be stories of physical bullying or verbal or psychological bullying. If your child is telling you about problems she has at school, you can bet that there is plenty that she hasn't told you about. By the time a child reveals her pain to you, the bullying has almost always been going on for a prolonged period.
Intervene. Kids are almost always reluctant to have a parent intervene, because they fear the social stigma of having their parents fight their battles. However, it is up to you to intervene on your child's behalf with school administrators to ensure your child's physical and emotional well-being.
Visit the Stop Bullying Now website (see Resources below). The website, which is run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, includes interactive tools, publications, printouts and advice for parents, kids and educators on the best ways to stop bullying in schools.
Attend a Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International workshop. The organization offers programs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, New Zealand and parts of Asia to teach children how to "stay safe and act wisely with strangers, bullies and people they know." The programs focus on giving kids hands-on opportunities to learn and practice skills for safely and effectively handling psychological and physical bullying.