What parents can do over the school holidays if their child is bullied

School holidays should be a time of fun, freedom, and family connection. Yet for children who have been bullied, these breaks can bring complicated emotions. On the one hand, they provide relief from school routines and toxic peer interactions. On the other, the absence of school structure and supportive teachers may amplify feelings of loneliness, anxiety, or even fear about returning to class.

For parents, the challenge is twofold: supporting a child who may be hurting, while also building the kind of caring community that helps prevent bullying in the first place. Holidays can be more than just a pause from school—they can be a powerful opportunity to rebuild resilience, foster empathy, and model how communities can protect children’s well-being both online and offline.

Understanding the different types of bullying

Before diving into strategies, it helps to recognise the many forms that bullying can take. Children may experience or witness:

• Physical bullying: hitting, kicking, spitting, tripping, stealing possessions, or unwanted physical contact.

• Verbal bullying: name-calling, insults, threats, offensive slurs, taunts, or intimidation.

• Social bullying: exclusion from groups, spreading rumours, controlling friendships, or deliberate public embarrassment.

• Cyberbullying: online threats, impersonation, posting or sending hurtful comments, spreading rumours digitally, or sharing damaging content.

Each type can wound a child’s self-esteem and affect their sense of safety. Recognising behaviours early makes it easier for parents to respond and support children during holiday downtime.

Addressing sadness and loneliness during holidays

School breaks can sometimes magnify feelings of isolation. Time away from regular routines, teachers, and classmates can leave a child feeling adrift—especially if their friendships at school have been fractured through bullying. Add in increased screen time, and the risk of cyberbullying rises.

Parents can counter this by addressing both emotional needs and online safety:

• Create opportunities for conversation. A simple “Are you okay?” or “Do you want to talk?” can open the door to meaningful sharing.

• Focus on belonging. Invite them into games, activities, or tasks to reinforce that they are valued and included.

• Know when to bring in support. Encourage them to let you or another trusted adult know if they feel unsafe or overwhelmed.

• Teach online safety. Remind your child not to share passwords or personal information, to block/report harmful behaviour, and to talk to you if they encounter anything distressing online.

Rebuilding confidence and resilience

One of the best things parents can do during holidays is to gently rebuild their child’s confidence. Away from the pressures of school, children can reconnect with their strengths.

• Encourage creativity. Art, music, writing, or building projects help children express emotions and feel a sense of accomplishment.

• Promote hobbies they enjoy. Whether it’s swimming, coding, cooking, or gardening, excelling in personal interests boosts self-esteem.

• Give them choices. Allowing a child to decide on outings, family meals, or daily activities restores a sense of control that bullying may have eroded.

Supporting safe friends and peer networks

Bullying often undermines trust in peers. Holidays are the perfect time to reinforce positive peer relationships.

• Arrange one-on-one playdates or hangouts with supportive friends.

• Explore community or holiday programs where children can meet like-minded peers in structured settings.

• Model healthy adult friendships yourself so children see what positive support looks like.

Creating balance at home

A meaningful holiday routine balances rest with stimulation. Too much unstructured downtime can leave children ruminating on negative experiences.

• Establish predictable daily rhythms, such as shared breakfasts, walks, or screen-free evenings.

• Mix independent activities with group experiences to build resilience in both contexts.

• Make room for quiet time—relaxation skills like mindfulness, yoga, or simple breathing can help lower anxiety.

Communication is key

One of the greatest gifts of the holidays is unhurried family time. This makes it the ideal space to strengthen communication.

• Develop rituals for check-ins, such as a nightly chat about “three good things” from the day.

• Practice active listening—avoid jumping in with solutions too quickly.

• Expand emotional vocabulary by helping your child label difficult feelings such as anger, embarrassment, or worry.

Harnessing peer support and student leadership

At You Can Sit With Me, we believe that children themselves are a powerful force for change when it comes to preventing bullying and fostering inclusion. During holidays and school terms alike, peer-led programs can teach young people to:

• Identify bullying dynamics and emotional distress in their peers.

• Intervene safely when they witness unkind behaviour.

• Offer inclusion, empathy, and a listening ear.

• Build cultures of kindness where sitting with someone, speaking up, or offering help becomes the norm.

These peer-support networks extend the idea that kindness is contagious. Students who feel empowered to act model empathy for others, making caring communities more resilient against bullying.

Comprehensive strategies for long-term change

Supporting a bullied child during holidays is crucial, but long-term solutions require community wide engagement. Proactive strategies that extend beyond reactive measures include:

• Anti-bullying workshops where children explore the different forms of bullying and develop healthy responses.

• Peer mentoring programs that pair older students with younger ones to create supportive bonds.

• Social-emotional learning (SEL) integrated into schools and families to strengthen emotional regulation, empathy, and positive decision-making.

• Evidence-based interventions that reduce bullying frequency through consistent frameworks.

• You Can Sit With Me initiatives, which show how small acts of kindness—like inviting a child to join your game—combat loneliness and make inclusion part of daily life.

Preparing for the return to school

As holidays come to an end, anxieties about returning to school can surface. To ease the transition:

• Gradually resume school bedtime and morning routines.

• Role-play scenarios to prepare your child for peer interactions.

• Connect early with teachers or school counsellors to alert them of ongoing concerns.

• Celebrate small, positive aspects of school life and remind your child that they have allies.

Supporting parents, too

Finally, it’s important to recognise that parents also feel the impact of bullying. Guilt, rage, or worry can weigh heavily. Self-care ensures you have the strength to support your child.

• Reach out to supportive friends, family, or online parent groups.

• Give yourself permission to rest and pursue your own restorative activities.

• Remember—you cannot control what happened, but you can be a source of powerful healing moving forward.

Turning school holidays into healing

When a child has been bullied, school holidays can feel daunting. But they can also be an opportunity: a time to heal, rebuild confidence, forge strong friendships, and create caring communities where no child feels left out.

Through open communication, safe routines, community initiatives, and peer support programs like You Can Sit With Me, families can help children discover that holidays are not just a break, but a time of renewal. The message they carry back to school is simple but powerful: everyone deserves kindness, belonging, and a safe place to sit.

Additional resources

• Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation – Report online grooming and inappropriate contact.

• Australian Cyber Security Centre – Automatically report cybercrimes such as online threats, scams, hacking, data breaches, identity theft, and fraud. 

• eSafety Commissioner -Report cyberbullying, image-based abuse, and illegal or restricted content.

• IDCARE – Support for identity theft, data breaches, scams, and cybersecurity concerns.

• Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 for free, private, and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling.

• Lifeline – 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

• Scamwatch – Report scams.

• 13YARN at 13 92 76 (24/7) for a free, private, and confidential conversation with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter.

YOU CAN SIT WITH ME is an inclusive, evidence-based, peer-led program reducing school refusal, social isolation, bullying, exclusion and non-inclusive behaviour.

YOU CAN SIT WITH ME provides free programs for schools, sporting clubs and community groups.  

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