Anti-bullying role play scenarios for kids: rehearse getting help

Key takeaways

• Ask your child whether they want to practice. Agree that either person can stop the scene immediately.
• Rehearse reaching an adult, including the walk across the room, so practice has somewhere concrete to end.
• Use invented, mild situations. Do not repeat the exact insult that hurt your child or surprise them with aggression.
• Give the adult a realistic response: a busy teacher may need a second clear request, but your child can keep seeking help.
• Use rehearsal alongside a school safety plan. A child's performance never decides whether they deserve protection.

Choose the part your child actually needs to rehearse

An adult can easily turn a role play into a test: stand taller, make eye contact, say it louder. A child who already feels exposed may then have another performance to worry about. Start with the moment they identify as difficult. They might know how to leave but worry that the teacher will send them back. Another child may need to practice saying anything at all after reaching the office.

Ask, “Would it help if I pretended to be the teacher?” If the answer is no, you can demonstrate the scene yourself with two toys or describe the plan while drawing a simple map. Your child can watch, choose a line, or suggest what the adult should say. There is no need to act out being targeted before they can prepare for getting support.

Bullying involves harmful behavior with a power imbalance and repetition, or the possibility of repetition. Role play cannot remove that imbalance. Its purpose here is to make a safety plan easier to use. Before rehearsing, identify who at school already knows, where your child can go, and what happens if the first adult is unavailable.

4 things your child can say in an anti-bullying rehearsal

1. 1.“I need help now.”

   Scene one: you are the playground adult and your child walks over from a pretend game. Respond by staying with them and asking what happened, so they practice receiving help as well as requesting it.

2. 2.“It happened again, by the benches.”

   Scene two: you already know about an earlier incident. Your child tells the adult where it happened and that it has happened again.

3. 3.“I'm worried they'll come after me for telling.”

   Scene three: your child has reached a trusted adult but fears retaliation. Practice explaining that concern so the adult can plan supervision and a private follow-up instead of arranging an immediate confrontation.

4. 4.“Can I stay here while you find help?”

   Scene four: the usual teacher is absent, and another adult needs to contact someone. Your child practices remaining in a supervised place while adults organize the next step. They do not need to return to the unsafe spot.

What not to say (and what to say instead)

What do I say when we start practicing at home?

Try, “We can do one short scene. You can stop whenever you want.” Choose a calm time and a room with enough space to move safely. A chair can be the teacher's desk; the doorway can be the school office. There is no need for costumes or a script to memorize. Ask your child which adult you should pretend to be.

For the first round, simply say, “Something unkind has happened by the benches.” Your child walks toward you and uses their chosen help line. Answer as the adult you would want them to meet: “Stay with me. Tell me what you need.” Stop there. Ask whether the words felt usable, and accept a shorter version or a written request.

If they want another round, practice an ordinary obstacle. You might say, “I'm helping somebody else for a moment.” They can respond, “I don't feel safe going back.” Then show a useful adult response, such as keeping them nearby and calling another staff member. Do not repeatedly dismiss them to make the exercise harder.

Finish by checking the real plan: the staff member's name, how to find them, and a backup adult. If school has agreed to a signal or a check-in, use that in the rehearsal. Tell your child what you will follow up with school. They should leave practice knowing which parts belong to adults, including stopping the behavior and supervising unsafe places.

7 short practice prompts

Name-calling: a classmate uses a mean nickname by the coat hooks. Your child can try “Stop. Use my name.” Play the nearby adult next and let your child ask for help if it happens again.

Left out on purpose: the same group keeps moving the rules to exclude your child. Rehearse walking to the playground adult and saying “They keep changing the rules so I can't play.” The adult arranges somewhere safe to join.

Group chat: classmates pile onto a hurtful message. Use an imaginary phone with a blank screen. Practice putting it down and telling you “They're doing it again in the chat.” You take over recording and reporting the pattern.

Bystander: your child sees someone being targeted near the field. Rehearse finding an adult: “Someone needs help by the field.” Then practice offering the child company once it is safe.

On the bus: repeated comments start behind your child's seat. Practice asking the supervising adult for help at a safe stopping point. Agree on the real adult and place before trying the scene.

The first adult is busy: you pretend to be a teacher finishing a conversation. Your child tries “I need help now,” and you arrange supervision. Keep your response reassuring; this is practice getting help.

After a report: the child worries about the next break. Ask them to choose a check-in place with the adult. End with “Can I come here if it happens again?” For lighter everyday situations, try our role-play scenarios for kids.

What do I say when practice does not go smoothly?

What to say at 6–8, 9–11 and 12–14

6–8

Use one room and one adult role. Your child can point toward the pretend teacher, walk with you, or use two words. Practice with a toy if pretending to be themselves feels too close to the real incident. Adults should communicate the fuller account to school.

“Help me, please.”

9–11

Add a location and a backup adult. Ask which moment feels hardest: leaving friends behind, reaching staff, or explaining that something has happened again. Let the child change your script to words they already use. One realistic round is enough for a first attempt.

“It happened again near the swings.”

12–14

Let your child choose a private reporting route, such as approaching staff after class or writing a message through an approved school channel. For online incidents, practice putting the phone down and showing you what happened. Avoid acting out a humiliating public confrontation.

“I need to report something privately.”

Key terms

Role play

A short pretend situation used to try an action or sentence before it is needed.

Safety plan

An agreement about where a child can go, who will help, and how adults will respond to a risk.

Retaliation

More harmful behavior directed at someone because they reported an earlier incident or sought help.