Are you looking for strategies to teach students to respond appropriately to teasing? If so, keep reading.

1. Embody friendly teasing by joking with the students and laughing when they tease you.

2. Converse with the learner to explain (a) what they are doing wrong (e.g., becoming upset, fighting, etc.) and (b) what they must be doing (e.g., laughing, joking in return, etc.).

3. Talk with the learner about choosing friends who are friendly and sincere.

4. Let the learner attempt something new in private before doing so in front of others.

5. Connect with parents (e.g., notes home, phone calls, etc.) to disseminate information about the learner’s progress. The parents may reinforce the learner at home for responding properly to friendly teasing at school.

6. Show the learner that friendly teasing is a positive means by that people demonstrate that they like other people and enjoy their company.

7. Talk with the learner’s peers about their sensitivity and difficulty in dealing with friendly teasing so they may adjust their behavior accordingly.

8. Let the learner voice their opinion in a situation to avoid becoming angry or upset.

9. Teach the learner appropriate ways to respond to friendly teasing (e.g., laugh, joke in reply, etc.).

10. Talk with the students about those topics that are not appropriate for friendly teasing (e.g., death, disease, handicaps, poverty, etc.).

11. Do not force the learner to interact with others with whom the learner is not entirely comfortable.

12. Assist the learner in recognizing the difference between friendly teasing and unkind, rude remarks so the learner can accept and appreciate friendly teasing.

13. Select a peer to model appropriate responses to friendly teasing for the learner.

14. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

15. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.