Lessons for Kids on Following the Crowd

Whether your youngster̵7;s peers are trying to lead him down the wrong road or you̵7;re hoping to get him prepared to deal with peer pressure ahead of time, you can enlist the help of a variety of activities at home to teach him how to stand his ground. Encourage your child to be confident, assertive and a good leader, and then ensure he knows he can always come to you if he's feeling pressured and unsure how to handle a troubling circumstance.

  1. Self-confidence

    • Help your child develop the self-confidence she needs to stand up for herself and make sound decisions. You can help your child acknowledge her positive qualities and characteristics with a collage art project. Have her search online and in magazines and newspapers for pictures that represent them, such as her favorite foods, sports, colors and animals, and what she would like to be when she grows up. Have her write her name in the center of the collage and then surround it with the pictures she̵7;s found. Keep your child recognizing her positive qualities with a "me" journal. Each night before bedtime, have your child write down three or four good incidents that happened during the day and a few good actions your child did, such as making someone laugh, letting a friend join in on a game or helping her sibling clean up his toys.

    Play a Role

    • Give your youngster the opportunity to resist peer pressure in your own home with role-playing activities. When he is able to get comfortable with ways to say ̶0;no,̶1; it can come more easily when he̵7;s faced with being pressured to follow the crowd. Present a variety of scenarios for the two of you to act out together, such as a peer offering him drugs or alcohol, a classmate encouraging him to skip school or a friend trying to persuade him to stay out past curfew. Start by letting him try to find his own solution to the circumstance and then give him a variety of ways to diffuse a problem and make a clean exit, such as saying "no," explaining why it's a bad idea, proposing something else or changing the topic with humor. Now he̵7;ll have an arsenal of quick responses to stay out of trouble and walk away from the crowd.

    Role Models

    • Help your child look for examples of people in her life and in the media that don̵7;t seem to follow the crowd. Start by making a list of friends, family and peers she feels are confident people. Have her list at least two or three examples of times when these people have demonstrated confidence, resisted peer pressure or acted assertively. Post the list somewhere prominent for a constant reminder. Next, look to magazines, newspapers and online to find examples of strong and confident politicians, music and movie stars and other people in the public eye. Clip or print pictures of each one and create a confidence collage with the photo. You can frame the finished project or tape it on her bedroom wall.

    Lead the Crowd

    • Teach your child to lead rather than follow. Provide your child with a survival scenario in which she takes the lead and determines the best course of action. For example, if your child and a group of friends were shipwrecked on an island, he must propose ways to find food, make shelter and live in nature. You can also provide examples of leadership by talking to your child about times you've taken charge, or help him look for examples of leadership in news and other media. You can help your child get involved in volunteering or sign up for extracurricular activities to help him learn about teamwork and leadership. Alternatively, help him plan a garage sale, lemonade stand or even a family birthday party to take charge of a project and learn about decision-making.

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