- Definition
Abusive behaviour is when someone acts in a way that hurts, scares, or controls another person, whether it happens once or over time. This can include physical harm, sexual harm, ignoring someone's needs, emotional cruelty, or witnessing violence at home.
Repeatedly calling another child mean names to make them feel bad is a form of abusive behaviour.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Abusive behaviour is like someone using their words or their body in a mean way on purpose to hurt you or make you feel scared.
Ask your child: What's the difference between an accidental bump and a mean push?
Common mix-up: Hitting, threats, and controlling behaviour are never okay. Recurrent unkindness or exclusion can also be harmful; children should tell a trusted adult when someone is hurt, scared, or unsafe.
Examples
- Pushing another child down on purpose during a game is abusive behaviour.
- Telling a classmate that no one is allowed to play with them is a way to isolate and hurt them.
- Taking someone's snack every day without asking is a way of controlling and intimidating them.
abusive behaviour is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
