Bullies vs. Overweight Kids: How Can You Help?

A new study shows [2] that obese kids are 65 percent more likely to be bullied than their peers of normal weight. Wendy Craig, a professor of psychology, highlighted the importance of teachers being proactive when she told CNN, “bullying and obesity are both major public health concerns that teachers and schools—and not just parents—need to address.”

Teaching Tolerance offers some useful resources to help teachers address the issue:

• Understanding Size Bias [3] and Fat… So? [4] share some background for educators and families on size discrimination and creating a healthy, welcoming environment.
• Accepting Size Differences [5] offers multidisciplinary lessons (Grades 3-12) that encourage students to evaluate both their own biases related to size differences and the ways in which the media shape those biases.
• Reshaping Body Image [6] encourages students to consider where we get our ideas about body image. It also asks kids to investigate various influences, including culture, family and the media.

Click here [7] to read more blog posts.