The experience that you have under your belt, plus the advice from experts, can help protect your child from a bully. Check out these 5 tips to protect your child from bullies:

Take action if you learn your child is being bullied. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to teach your child how to properly respond.

Teach your child by example. Research shows that children who witness violence and aggression at home have a higher risk of becoming a bully, or becoming the victim of a bully. This applies to physical and verbal aggression.

Give your child clues on how to spot a bully. Some bullies are the stereotypical large, mean boy in the hallway. But other kids bully using degrading words. Your child will learn how to identify a bully and that it’s okay to choose not to be friends with this kind of person.

Create an environment that helps your child build friendships. Bullies often target kids who are loners. You protect your child if you help him have good friends.

Practice dealing with bullies with your child at home. Just like fire drills at school, practice is an important aspect of learning the right and wrong ways to handle a tough situation.