3 golden tips to teach your child to resist peer pressure

As parents we often get stressed about the prospect of our child succumbing to peer pressure at school. Peer pressure comes in many forms: bullying, skipping a school lesson or indulging in alcohol and smoking in worser forms. Prevention is better than cure, and this guide from a pre prep school in Richmond will show you how to help your child with these situations.

Teach them the difference between pressure and influence

Your child will have a rough idea of what could be bad and what is meant for their benefit and learning. Show your child how they need to distinguish between pressure and influence. Pressure is a forced act that can seem wrong if someone found out, whereas an influence is often positive and will better a person as a result.

Show them the impact of saying “no”

It’s not an easy phrase to say even as an adult, but it’s very powerful, and it’s a complete sentence. Your child doesn’t need to provide a reason why they’re rejecting something if they believe it sounds wrong to them. But understand that it can be an emotional strain on your child, so be sure to prepare them adequately beforehand.

Practice different scenarios at home

To help them in learning to say no, you can always practice different situations with your child to see how they can use respect and kindness when under pressure. Teach them about statements like, “I know you believe that opinion, but I believe something else, and I hope you can respect my opinion.” These statements are key and a quick way of getting a child out of an uncomfortable situation.

Learn about what skills your child might need support on, such as their social skills or communication. They may be shy in general and need a little push if they’re being the subject of continued pressure. It’s important to keep in touch with your child where you can.