Kids Helping Kids

ope. Note: Review basic safety rules about this game. Insist that it be a friendly game
and that each student must stay within a square foot.
Ask the students to demonstrate a safe game of tug-of-war. Each volunteer should
take one end of the ribbon and pull.
After this quick demonstration, discuss how it relates to the various roles in relational
aggression. The more powerful student is like the aggressor and the student who lost
is like the target. The aggressor pulls the target along. Now ask for three more
volunteers. Ask each student to hold onto one loop that has been tied in the center of
the rope or ribbon and play another simple game of tug-of-war (they are the kid in
the middle).
Note: Give no further instructions on how to play with the kid in the middle. After
the game of tug-of-war is finished, ask each person his or her reactions or feelings;
discuss how the game changed by adding a kid in the middle. This is a good lesson to
demonstrate in physical education class.
Explain to the class that in peer aggression, there are three main roles: the aggressor,
the kid(s) in the middle and the target. Define each role:
• Aggressor: someone who physically, verbally or relationally hurts others
• Kid(s) in the Middle: a witness or bystander who can choose to help the
target, help the aggressor or do nothing
• Target (victim): the person hurt by the aggressor
Ask for three more volunteers. Give each volunteer a label: target, aggressor and kid
in the middle. Before the game begins, secretly tell the kid in the middle to help the
aggressor. Play a safe game of tug-of-war and discuss with the class how this game
was different than the others. Make the point that the kid in the middle did not do
anything to help the target, and sided with the aggressor, which made him or her that
much more powerful.
Continue with one more game of tug-of-war with three other volunteers. Before the
game begins, secretly tell the kid in the middle to help the target overcome the
aggressor. Emphasize that the game changed because the kid in the middle chose to
help the target.
To demonstrate the power of the kid in the middle, add more kids to the tug of war
©2006 The Ophelia Project ®
Kids Helping Kids - 34