Classmates laughed at my child in class
By the Life Scenario team · Updated · For parents of children 6–14 · Teasing and embarrassment
Recovering from embarrassment and regaining confidence
Being laughed at after a mistake can trigger a strong fear of negative judgment. Children may stop participating to avoid experiencing that feeling again.
What is your child learning?
This situation creates opportunities to practise self-management, social awareness, focus and responsibility. Listen for whether your child has a way to get back to the lesson after the laughter, even with a short reply.
How parents and educators can support the learning
Validate the embarrassment, then practise a brief response and a return to the task. Help the child distinguish a moment of laughter from a lasting judgment about their ability.
Try asking:
- What did you feel in your body?
- What could you say to yourself afterwards?
- What might you do next in class?
- How can classmates help someone who feels embarrassed?
What your child could say
Example replies, written for this page. They are not scored answers and not answers from real children.
- Ages 6–8
- “Oops! My brain is still asleep.”
- Ages 9–11
- “Yeah, that was not my finest answer.”
- Ages 12–14
- “Yep, everyone saw that. Moving on.”
Your child is laughing at the moment rather than at themselves, which leaves the others little to tease. It suits a one-off slip and a child who jokes easily.
- Ages 6–8
- “Okay, it was funny. Can we stop now?”
- Ages 9–11
- “Alright, you’ve had your laugh.”
- Ages 12–14
- “Okay, it wasn’t that funny.”
If the giggling doesn’t die down on its own, a calm and slightly bored tone tells them it has stopped working. Getting angry tends to keep it going.
- Ages 6–8
- “Wait, how do you do it then?”
- Ages 9–11
- “So what’s the right answer? I want to get it.”
- Ages 12–14
- “Fine, so what is it then?”
This one fits a wrong answer. Going back to the question moves everyone’s attention from your child to the maths, and shows the mistake didn’t knock them over.
The bigger life lesson
One public mistake says very little about how clever a child is. Getting back on track after it is a skill children can practise.
Explore the situation. Discuss the emotions. Practise a response. Build a life skill.
Related situations
Guides for parents on this
- How to respond to teasing
- Picked on every day at school
- When your child cries after teasing
- Size of the problem at home
Sources
- StopBullying.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, What kids can do (last reviewed March 8, 2022): When kids see bullying they can tell a trusted adult and be kind to the child being bullied; staying silent can make it worse. Online, kids should not share anything that could hurt or embarrass anyone. A child being teased can ask the other child to stop in a calm, clear voice, or try to laugh it off if joking comes easily.
- StopBullying.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, What is bullying (last reviewed October 7, 2024): Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
The example replies on this page were written by the Life Scenario team for illustration. They are not answers from children and are not scores.