When considering the use of this activity it is important to think about the children in your class or club. If there are existing issues between the children and young people this activity may leave some of them feeling vulnerable and may not be appropriate at this time.
Drama time 30 MINUTES
Goals
Help children take other children’s perspectives Support children to reflect about and share difficult experiences in a safe space
Material
- Bullying scenarios (print them to give to each group)
- Suggested questions cards
- Download Lesson plan Drama time Putting yourself in someones else's his shoes
Experiences and outcomes
Potential outcomes which may be reached by engaging in these activities:
- I am aware of and able to express my feelings and am developing the ability to talk about them.
- I understand that my feelings and reactions can change depending upon what is happening within and around me. This helps me to understand my own behaviour and the way others behave.
- I understand that people can feel alone and can be misunderstood and left out by others. I am learning how to give appropriate support.
Ground rules
Before you start, set some ground rules about respect and the importance of listening to each other. Warn that some might feel upset and give advice on how to address this. For example, by suggesting that a child speak to a teachers or adult if they feel upset or uncomfortable.
Group acitivity
Divide children in groups of 5-6. Give each group a bullying scenario and ask them to choose and interpret one character. Invite them to think about being that character, his/her thoughts, emotions and behaviour in that situation. In other words to perform as great actors!
After 3 minutes, ask children to exchange characters and interpret them, and so on until everyone has interpreted a few different scenarios and characters within them
Bullying scenarios (below are some example scenarios, or you may wish to create your own)
- Exclusion: (include the person in the group) Karima is left out of the group of your friends.
Jenny and Karen say that she is very old-fashioned. Mary invites Karima to join her and her friends, saying that Karima is very intelligent and can solve maths problems very rapidly. Mary has never talked to Karima much so she wants to get to know her better and make feel her comfortable among her friends.
- Rumours (kindly challenge negative behaviour): Jeanna is talking with Kirstin behind Anna’s back.
When Paula is alone with Jeanna, she kindly tells her that she was a bit upset about what she said about Anna before because she knows that rumours hurt people.
- Online bullying (talking with an adult): Maggie sees that in a group chat on Snapchat someone with a fake account is being mean to Matthew. You know that is Julia because you know she created and uses that Snapchat account. Maggie does not know Julia well so she prefers to talk to a teacher about this. Maggie knows that Matthew is very sensitive and often bullied.
- Aggressive scenario (asking for help from an adult): Mandy is pushing Katie against the wall and she is shouting at her. She always puts Katie down but now she seems to be becoming aggressive. She is mad because she thinks that Katie flirted with the boy she likes. Barbara sees what is happening and she is worried so she decides to look for help from a trusted adult.