Bully Prevention

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Bullying is a problem many children will face as they grow up. Watch the Good Birds Club with your child to begin a conversation about bullying. Additionally, watch the Happy to Be Me Anti-Bullying Discussion videos for more about recognizing and preventing bullying.

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Watch and Discuss

Sesame Street has always been a destination for parents and children to laugh, learn, and grow. Over the past 42 years, the show has focused on the whole child by addressing educational, social, emotional, health and societal issues. Many difficult topics have been addressed through the seasons, and Sesame Street has always been there to provide concrete information to parents, teachers, and caregivers by extending the lessons learned from our curriculum.

Statistics have shown that many children will encounter bullying as they grow up - either as perpetrator, victim, or observer. In the longstanding tradition of Sesame Street to address sensitive topics, we consulted with researchers and early childhood experts to develop an age-appropriate story to address the topic of bullying. In "The Good Birds Club," Big Bird is bullied by another bird in the neighborhood. The show empowers children by providing strategies for dealing with bullying, and encourages them to seek the help of a trusted adult.

Since bullying is a complex issue, we assembled a panel of experts to provide additional information for parents, teachers, and caregivers. The goal of the following discussion is to give you a clear understanding of exactly what bullying is, how you can identify the signs of bullying, and what your role as an adult is to prevent or stop bullying.

Watch the Good Birds Club together with your child and then use the questions below to start a discussion.

  • At the beginning of the story, how does Big Bird feel about himself? (Good, special, he likes himself)

  • How does Big Bird feel when the Good Bird Club leader is makes fun of the way he looks? (Sad, bad, he doesn't like how he looks, he thinks he needs to change)

  • How can you tell? (By what he says, the sound of his voice, how his body looks)

  • Show me on your face how you'd feel if someone said those mean words to you. (Kids show a sad or maybe a mad face)

  • When the Good Bird Club birds were mean to Big Bird was he mean back to them? (No.) If he had been mean back, what could have happened? (They could have had a big fight. He could have gotten in trouble.)

  • Why did Big Bird keep changing himself? (He wanted to feel included)

  • What did Elmo and Abby do to help Big Bird solve his problem with the Good Bird Club? (They got a grown up to help. They reported to a grown up.)

  • What did Big Bird's friends do to help him feel happier? (They were nice to him. They told him they like him just how he is.)


    • Practice and Play

  • To help your child learn what to do if she experiences bullying, have her practice saying "I don't like the way they are acting. I am going to play with someone else."

  • To help your child support a friend who is being bullied, have him pretend he is Elmo or Abby and practice saying one nice thing to Big Bird about the way he looks.

  • To help your child learn how to report bullying, have her pretend she is Elmo or Abby and say "Big Bird needs help."


    • For more information on bully prevention, visit Stop Bullying Now.

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