BrainAbouts: About Resisting Social Pressure
BrainAbouts Video
Handouts
Resisting Social Pressure Discussion
Definitions & Discussion Questions
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Resisting Social Pressure Facts & Stats
The Facts & Stats
Other Videos
Family Coaching
DEFINITIONS & PLANNING
Parent Coaching: Helping parents with parenting challenges by offering alternative perspectives about family situations, creating strategies to prevent youth high-risk behavior, and developing family dynamics that achieve balanced parenting goals.
Prevention Planning: Use this section to plan your prevention activities and prevention discussions regarding this topic.
TAKE A QUIZ
Resistance to Peer Influence Scale
Take this quiz to find out how high your resistance to peer influence is.
Brief Situational Confidence Quiestionnaire (BSCQ)
Assess your confidence level in eight different situations that could tempt someone to engage in substance use or compulsive behavior.
ACTIVITIES
Activities
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BrainAbouts Discussion Handouts
Use the BrainAbouts Resisting Social Pressure handout to generate discussions with kids.
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BrainAbouts Facts & Stats Handouts
Use the BrainAbouts Resisting Social Pressure handout to learn more.
Draw a How to Say No Poster with Kids
Watch this video and create a drawing with your kids depicting how they would say 'No'.
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Watch a Disney Movie & Teach Skills
Watch Disney's Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and practice refusal skills starting at around age 8-10 depending upon your child's developmental maturity.
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Watch Brain Games Peer Pressure Episode
Watch National Geographic's Brain Games episode on social conformity to learn that conforming is normal and sometimes healthy, and when it is not.
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Practice Refusal Skills
Read the refusal skills ideas and ask your youth to devise their own.
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DUI Scenarios to Practice Refusal Skills
Use these scenarios from Stopteendui.com to role-play and practice refusal skills to stop drinking and driving.
Links
Video Series to Watch with Kids
Subscribe to Fresberg's YouTube channel for educational and leadership cartoons to watch with kids.
Cartoon AllStars to the Rescue
Many different cartoon stars like Bugs Bunny, the Muppet Babies and Garfield join forces to convince a teenager that drugs aren't cool.
Refusal Skills Handout
Use this refusal skills handout from the Poe Center to devise refusal skills with kids.
RESOURCES
Organizations
Students Against Destructive Decisions
SADD fosters a sense of belonging and promotes resiliency, leadership, and advocacy skills so that young people make positive life decisions that will carry them throughout life.
Health and Opioid Prevention Education
Excellent 8th Grade Lesson Plan on Refusal Skills..
KidsHealth and TeensHealth
KidsHealth.org and TeenHealth.org help families take charge of their physcial, emotional, and behavioral health including videos and free lesson plans. Search for 'peer pressure' activities.
Reach Out.com
ReachOut is a strengths-based prevention and early intervention model offering classroom resources on a variety of topics including friendships.
Readings & Research
Age Differences in Resisting Peer Influence
Steinberg, L., & Monahan, K. C. (2007). Age differences in resistance to peer influence. Developmental psychology, 43(6), 1531–1543. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1531
Social Influence and the Brain
Zaki J, Schirmer J, Mitchell JP. Social Influence Modulates the Neural Computation of Value. Psychological Science. 2011;22(7):894-900. doi:10.1177/0956797611411057
Teen Peer Pressure by the Numbers
Statistics about peer pressure.
Boundaries with Teens
Boundaries with Teens: When to Say Yes, How to Say No Paperback – Import, February 13, 2006 by
Staff Topic Material
DEFINITIONS
Faculty Topic Material: Section dedicated to putting prevention topic material at faculty and school staff's fingertips. Material in these sections includes Universal (Tier I), Selective (Tier II), and Indicated (Tier III & IV) activity ideas, resources, and research relevant to a particular high-risk topic or skill.
Prevention Planning: Use the Faculty Topic Material section to help plan prevention activities for the whole school, faculty in-service, group counseling, and individual & family engagement.
ACTIVITIES
Activities
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BrainAbouts Discussion Handout
Use the BrainAbouts Resisting Social Pressure handout to generate discussions with students.
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BrainAbouts Facts & Stats Handout
Use the BrainAbouts Resisting Social Pressure handout to learn more.
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Listen to Audio Article in English & Spanish
Listen or read article by KidsHealth about Peer Pressure in English and Spanish.
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Learn and Practice Refusal Skills
Use the BrainAbouts Refusal Skills handouts or an age-based activity guide to teach and practice refusal skills.
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Watch Brain Games Peer Pressure Episode
Watch National Geographic's Brain Games episode on social conformity to learn that conforming is normal and sometimes healthy, and when it is not.
Links
Peer Pressure Series Grades 3-5
KidsHealth in the Classroom activities for exploring the benefits and pitfalls of peer pressure.
Refusal Skills Lesson for 5th Grade
Refusal Skills Lesson Plan for 5th grade from I STOP'D.
Peer Pressure Series Grades 6-8
KidsHealth in the Classroom activities for learning how to recognize and respond to positive and negative peer pressure.
Refusal Skills Lesson Plans for Opioid Prevention K-12
Refusal Skills Lesson Plans from Health and Opioid Prevention Education.
Peer Pressure Series Grades 9-12
KidsHealth in the Classroom activities for learning how to think critically about the positive and negative effects of peer influence.
Brain Games Video - Peer Pressure
Watch this episode on Peer Pressure from National Geographic's hit television show Brain Games.
RESOURCES
Videos
Organizations
KidsHealth in the Classroom
KidsHealth in the Classroom offers free health education resources for PreK through 12th grade, all aligned with National Health Education Standards.
Reach Out.com
ReachOut is a strengths-based prevention and early intervention model offering classroom resources on a variety of topics including friendships.
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
SADD fosters a sense of belonging and promotes resiliency, leadership, and advocacy skills so that young people make positive life decisions that will carry them throughout life.
Links
Trying to Fit In Grades 7-8
Use this lesson to start the conversation with students about peer pressure and deal with the perceived repercussions from peers if they do not join in group behavior.
When Friends Aren't Friendly Grades 7-8
Teach students how to recognise when a friendship is toxic, and to develop strategies to help them cope with these relationships.
How to Have Difficult Conversations Grades 7-12
Sometimes, students find it difficult to stand up to their friends and explain how they feel. This lesson gives students the space to practice saying how they feel and the confidence to face difficult conversations.
Refusal Skills Class Powerpoint
Refusal skills class power point slide deck.
English
Spanish