Educational Games Developed in Alicante to Prevent School Bullying

School bullying statistics are truly alarming. Up to one in ten school-aged students suffer from this issue, which is particularly evident in insults and mockery (87.6% of cases), followed by isolation (42.6%). Experts advocate for early prevention to address the problem, a goal pursued by an initiative jointly launched by Miniland, a toy company based in Onil, and the ANAR Foundation.

The proposal consists of a collection of educational games that act from early prevention, promoting emotional intelligence from the earliest years. Under the slogan 'Allies in Play', this collection of educational toys is designed to identify and prevent bullying from an early age.

Moreover, for each unit sold, Miniland will donate one euro to the ANAR Foundation to continue supporting their work in eradicating bullying in schools and helping its victims.

The 'Allies in Play' collection consists of three products. The first is 'Emotiduos', designed for children from two years old, a puzzle that helps recognize opposite emotions through everyday images, promoting dialogue and cooperative work. 'Put Yourself in Their Shoes' is aimed at children from three years old and consists of a board that presents pre-bullying situations to foster empathy and the recognition of one's own and others' emotions.

Lastly, there is 'Escape from Monsterland', suitable for children from five years old, a cooperative game where participants face challenges to defeat a symbolic villain of bullying, promoting emotional learning and collaboration.

The initiative was presented this Wednesday at an event attended by Almudena Richart, Marketing Manager of Miniland, who highlighted that "these are not just games, they are tools for children to become aware of their emotions. They help foster good self-esteem and provide teachers and families with resources to address the problem of bullying."

Alongside her, Diana Díaz, Director of ANAR Help Lines and a psychologist specializing in childhood and adolescence, emphasized that this year they have received nearly 15,000 calls related solely to school bullying and cyberbullying. "It's a slightly more favorable figure than last year, but bullying still exists, it's not an eradicated issue, and we must continue working. It should be noted that 1 in 4 students state that the bullying situation has been ongoing for more than a year, which is a worrying situation that can become chronic over time."

Additionally, providing specific context in classrooms, Paola de la Cruz, a teacher, pedagogical advisor, and children's rights activist, explained that "bullying doesn't just occur in primary or secondary school. It starts much earlier. In the early childhood stage, we already see the first signs of authoritarian relationships, power dynamics, children assuming the role of the boss, and others who, just to belong, allow everything. Real prevention of bullying cannot begin when the problem is already entrenched."