25 Anti-Bullying Activities for Elementary Students

By Brian, Coast to Coast School Assemblies

Quick answer: The most effective anti-bullying activities for elementary students do three things: they teach kids to name what bullying is, they turn bystanders into upstanders, and they build everyday empathy through repeated practice. About 19% of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school in 2021–22 (NCES), so start early and repeat often. Below are 25 activities grouped by goal.

Why do anti-bullying activities matter in elementary school?

Bullying is common enough that nearly every classroom is affected. In the most recent federal data, about 19% of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school — down from 28% in 2010–11, a decline that coincides with wider adoption of prevention programs (NCES, 2023). Starting in elementary school matters because empathy and social skills are still forming, and habits set early tend to hold.

Activities work best when they are short, frequent, and tied to a common language the whole school shares. One assembly or one lesson rarely changes behavior on its own; a steady drumbeat of small practices does.

Activities that teach kids what bullying is

Before children can stop bullying, they need to recognize it — and tell it apart from ordinary conflict.

1. Bullying vs. conflict sort: pairs sort situation cards into conflict or bullying and explain why.

2. Four types poster: build a class poster of physical, verbal, social, and cyber bullying.

3. Story stop-and-ask: read a picture book and pause to ask, is this bullying and how do you know?

4. Feelings thermometer: kids rate how a character feels at each point in a story.

5. Warning-signs brainstorm: list what bullying looks and feels like so kids spot it early.

Activities that turn bystanders into upstanders

Most bullying happens in front of other kids. Teaching students safe ways to step in is one of the highest-impact things you can do.

1. Upstander role-play: practice simple lines like Stop, that's not okay, or Come sit with us.

2. The three safe moves: teach direct help, distraction, and telling a trusted adult.

3. Buddy bench: a bench at recess signals I'd like someone to play with.

4. Kindness reporters: students catch classmates being upstanders and share it at circle time.

5. Exit-ticket pledge: each child writes one upstander action to try tomorrow.

Activities that build everyday empathy

Empathy is the muscle behind kindness. These build it through practice, not lecture.

1. Compliment circle: each child gives a genuine compliment to the person beside them.

2. Walk-in-their-shoes journals: kids write from another person's point of view.

3. Kindness bingo: a board of small kind acts to complete over a week.

4. Gratitude chain: add a paper link for each kind act and watch the chain grow.

5. Feelings check-in: a daily one-word emotion share builds a caring climate.

6. Cooperative art mural: a shared piece that only works when everyone contributes.

7. Fill someone's bucket notes: kids leave encouraging notes for classmates.

Whole-class and whole-school activities

Some activities work best when the entire community joins in — this is where a school-wide event or assembly multiplies the effect.

1. Class kindness contract: co-write the rules for how you treat each other.

2. Unity Day (wear orange): join PACER's October event as one school.

3. Kindness week challenge: a daily theme with a school-wide goal.

4. Anti-bullying pledge wall: everyone signs a shared banner.

5. Buddy classrooms: pair older and younger grades as mentors.

6. Theme song or chant: a shared song the whole school can sing back.

7. Assembly kickoff: launch the theme with a high-energy assembly, then reinforce it in class.

8. Kindness data wall: track kind acts as a class and celebrate milestones.

How do you make these activities stick?

Pick a few, not all 25. Choose two or three that fit your class, run them consistently for several weeks, and give the effort a shared name so kids and families recognize it. Reinforcement beats novelty: the same message repeated in different forms is what changes a school's culture.

A whole-school assembly is a powerful way to launch the shared language these activities depend on — every student hears the same message on the same day, and your classroom practice picks it up from there. See the Coast to Coast Character Education and Anti-Bullying program at coasttocoastschoolassemblies.com/character-education-and-anti-bullying.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best anti-bullying activity for young students? For K-2, start with empathy-builders like the compliment circle and feelings check-in; for grades 3-5, add upstander role-play and the three safe moves.

How often should we do anti-bullying activities? Little and often beats one big event. A short activity once or twice a week, tied to a shared theme, works better than a single lesson.

Do anti-bullying programs actually work? Evidence-based, sustained programs are associated with lower bullying rates; the national decline from 28% to 19% coincided with broader adoption of prevention efforts (NCES).

References

1) National Center for Education Statistics (2023), Student Bullying Fast Facts. 2) StopBullying.gov, Prevention at School. 3) PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, Unity Day.