Research shows that children look to parents and caregivers for advice and help on tough decisions. Start conversations about daily life and feelings with questions such as these:

• What made you laugh today?
  
• What made you feel proud today?
• Share with me one thing you learned in history (or any other subject) today.
• Share something about your day and ask your kids for their advice on how you should handle it.
• We want to do something together as a family this weekend, what would your top 3 choices be?

Talking about bullying directly is an important step in understanding how the issue might be affecting kids. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but it is important to encourage kids to answer them honestly. Assure kids that they are not alone in addressing any problems that arise. Start conversations about bullying with questions like these:

• What does “bullying” mean to you?
• Describe what kids who bully are like. Why do you think people bully?
• Who are the adults you trust most when it comes to things like bullying?
• Have you or your friends left other kids out on purpose? Do you think that was bullying? Why or why not?
• What do you usually do when you see bullying going on?
• Do you ever see kids at your school being bullied by other kids? How does it make you feel?
• Have you ever tried to help someone who is being bullied? What happened? What would you do if it happens again?