This interview with Dr. Jackie Humans is one of the most informative articles on bullying I have seen.
A particularly interesting point is that bullies scan the people around them for likely targets. In effect, they do their homework. Although it is crucial to understand that bullies are responsible for their behavior (i.e., their victims are not responsible for being bullied), there are many skills people can learn to be "less fun" as a target.
She makes a great point about bullies wanting their victims to react in a traumatized way. They want their victims to believe that the remark, scenario, or physical harm is completely awful. If the victim deflects bullying behavior with humor or an unemotional non-reaction, the bully's "awfulizing" does not work.
See the article for more information and some tips, although she leaves some of the good stuff for readers of her book. 15 Ways to ZAP a Bully! is written with middle-schoolers as a target audience. I have not read this book but I will consider finding it when my five-year-old is just a little older.
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