Helping Your Child Resist Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is something that all children will face at some point growing up.  Peer pressure is when your child feels like they have to do something just because all of their friends are doing it, or when friends try to influence your child’s decisions and actions.

It is important for parents to make their children aware of peer pressure and help them to understand that it is okay to say ‘no’ when they feel uncomfortable.

To help your child resist peer pressure, here is some advice from an independent preparatory school in Essex…

Understand peer pressure

To help your child fight back against peer pressure, your child will need to be able to spot when it is happening. Explain to your child certain situations where they may experience peer pressure and role play some examples. Teach your child to be sensible and confident in their decision making and reassure them that they can always talk to you.

Say NO to peer pressure

It is important that your child feels confident enough to say ‘no’ when something makes them feel uncomfortable. It can be extremely hard for your child to say no to their friends, but it is important to explain that true friends will not pressure them to do something they don’t want to do. You could teach your child to offer an alternative suggestion in response to peer pressure. For example if they feel that an activity is unsafe, they could suggest another fun alternative.

Get to know friends

Get to know your child’s friends and encourage your child to invite friends to visit your home. Spend time talking to your child about their relationships at school and if you have any concerns you can always ask their teacher for advice.

Celebrate individuality

By teaching your child to be accepting of other people and to be proud of their own individuality, your child is less likely to be phased by peer pressure. Peer pressure works by making an individual feel wrong or unaccepted for not following along. Explain to your child that we don’t all have to be the same or do the same things in order to fit in.

Is your child going back to school?  Check out my top tips for returning back to school!

Thanks for reading xxx