Anti-Bullying Assemblies and Bullying Prevention Programs for Schools
A hosted game show assembly that gets every student talking about respect, kindness and how to speak up. For elementary, middle and high schools in New Jersey, New York City and Connecticut.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
An anti-bullying assembly students join in, not sit through
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, led by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, which was founded in 2006. Its Unity Day falls on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, when schools wear and share orange as one visible message of kindness, acceptance and inclusion (Unity Day).
It’s PlayTyme turns your anti-bullying assembly into a live, professionally hosted game show. Classes compete as teams, students answer on keypads or phones, and the questions are written with your counselors so the scenarios match what your students actually face, from name-calling in the hallway to group chats online.
The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that the share of high school students bullied on school property rose from 15% in 2021 to 19% in 2023 (CDC YRBS 2023). That is roughly one student in five, which is why the message has to reach the whole room.
Why a game show
Why students open up when they play
Bullying is a topic students have heard about many times, and a lecture on it often lands as one more adult telling them what not to do. A team game changes the room. Students talk through each scenario with their classmates before they lock in an answer, so the conversation happens between peers, which is where bullying lives.
What changes when students play instead of listen
- Every student answers, including the quiet ones who would never raise a hand.
- Scenarios are discussed as a team, so no one is singled out.
- Your staff see what students really think, because the room shows its answers.
- Respect and speaking up become something the whole school cheers for together.
The show can also follow a speaker or a film, turning the message into something students practise right away.
How it works
What your anti-bullying assembly includes
Scenarios written with your staff
Your counselors share the situations your students face, and we build game rounds around them at the right level for each grade.
Every student plays
Students answer on audience-response keypads or phones, so the whole audience competes, not only the contestants on stage.
Familiar game show formats
Formats students already know, such as Face 2 Face Feud, The Challenge and PlayPad Mania.
Kindness, not shame
Rounds focus on what to do: how to be an upstander, how to report, and how to include someone who is left out.
A professional host
A host who runs rooms for a living keeps the pace fast and keeps a sensitive topic respectful.
Full production, we set it up
Host, sound, podiums, buzzers, lighting and prizes arrive with us. Your team supplies the room and the students.
NJ · NY · CT
How an assembly fits your state anti-bullying rules
Each state in our service area has its own anti-bullying framework. An assembly can support the instruction and the school climate work these laws call for. It does not replace your policy, your investigations or your required instruction.
- New Jersey: under the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, the week beginning with the first Monday in October is the Week of Respect, when districts provide age-appropriate instruction on preventing harassment, intimidation and bullying, with ongoing instruction throughout the year (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-29). Each school has an anti-bullying specialist who chairs a school safety team that meets at least twice a year.
- Connecticut: since the 2025-26 school year, schools work under the new school climate law, where bullying is defined as unwanted and aggressive behavior involving a real or perceived power imbalance and sits within the wider category of challenging behavior (CSDE school climate guidance). Read our guide to the Connecticut school climate policy.
- New York: schools follow the Dignity for All Students Act, so ask your Dignity Act Coordinator how an assembly can support your school’s plan.
Planning steps
How to book your anti-bullying assembly
- Pick your date. Unity Day (October 21, 2026), New Jersey’s Week of Respect or any time during the school year all work.
- Tell us your grades, student count and room through the form below or our contact page.
- Share the scenarios and messages your counselors want reinforced, and we build the rounds.
- Review the questions before the day.
- We arrive, set up and host. We need two hours of setup access before the first show.
Pairing the assembly with prevention on other topics? See our Red Ribbon Week and drug prevention assemblies, distracted driving prevention and all school assembly programs.
Make respect the thing your school cheers for
Tell us your date, your grades and the message you want students to leave with. We will come back with a plan.
Anti-bullying assembly questions
When is National Bullying Prevention Month?
National Bullying Prevention Month is every October. In 2026, PACER’s Unity Day, when schools wear orange, is Wednesday, October 21.
What is the Week of Respect in New Jersey?
New Jersey law designates the week beginning with the first Monday in October as the Week of Respect, when districts provide age-appropriate instruction on preventing harassment, intimidation and bullying.
Does an anti-bullying assembly meet our state requirement?
No assembly replaces your required instruction, your policy or your investigation process. A game show assembly reinforces what students learn and gives the whole school a shared moment.
Can the assembly work for elementary students?
Yes. Scenarios are written for each grade band, from sharing and including others in elementary school to group chats and social media in middle and high school.
Which areas do you serve?
We bring assemblies to schools across New Jersey, New York City, New York State and Connecticut.
Plan your school’s assembly
Send us your date, grades and student count. We set up a quick discovery call before we put your proposal together.