make my child "bullyproof"

[thatsnotmyname82]

Has anyone got any tips or ideas to make my child "bully proof." She's very sensitive and although only 6 I worry that she could become a target for bullies as she goes through school. Maybe there are some activities I could do with her at home but I don't know where to start??
Any help is appreciated...

I think martial arts are a good place to start, it's fun and even if you never get very good all the other kids tend to say "don't mess with so and so she knows 'insert sport here' "

It's very hard to suggest things because the problem is the bully's behaviour and it is never the target's fault.

I'd suggest that your DD knows she can always talk to you, about anything. My youngest had a period of troubles with a former friend last year and said 'I almost feel like she is bullying me' at one point. Your heart breaks for them - but we had lots of chats, involved the school, and it was all sorted out really well.

DD1 did TaeKwonDo. I seriously doubt that it made her bullyproof but it did massively increase her confidence and most importantly she really enjoyed it. She continued to black belt.

I tend to agree with G1ve...I'm not really sure there's much you can do as as she points out, the issues are with the bullies, not the victim. And sadly there are some children who do quite often get "picked on" wherever they go, for some random reason usually known only to the bullies of this world.

I will say, however, that I was an extremely shy, sensitive child when I was very small and I had it knocked out of me in secondary school (not literally, but you know). Best character building experience of my life. I'm still sensitive which I wouldn't change, but I can stand up for myself now.

In the meantime, chat to her regularly, make sure she knows she can come to you with any problems and if she wants to do any activities to raise her confidence etc, then do encourage them :)

Slightly different approach but there's a good book called ABC of Bullying by Marie Murray and Colm Keane that I think had useful tips- more in terms of how to blend in at school, social skills and how to lessen your child as a target.

It's a bit depressing in that it's all about masking their quirks but it's a useful survival guide!

It was released along with an RTE series here in Ireland ages ago but still stands up. I think it's available on Amazon.

Thanks all. I am really anxious about it which I know will not help (I wonder where the poor things gets her anxiety from lol). She just seems to be so aware of others and what they think of her. I want her to have the confidence and resilience to deal with bullying or other nasty incidents that may happen, not just in school but life.
I will definitely look into martial arts and that book you mentioned Diggum. I was hoping to find something I could do at home maybe role play stuff to prepare her. I wanted some guidance though as I don't want to teach her the wrong thing or teach her to say something that could make it all worse...