Grade 4-6

Common challenges:

• Hearing about alcohol use from friends or older kids
• Curiosity about what it feels like to drink
• Beginning to understand peer influence

Quick tips:

• Talk about body and brain development: Explain that alcohol harms growing brains and slows reaction times.
• Prepare them for peer pressure: Practice simple ways to say no, like “No thanks, I don’t want to get in trouble.”
• Set family rules: Be clear that underage drinking isn’t allowed — and explain why.
• Use media as conversation starters: Ask what they think when they see drinking in a show or ad.

How to respond:

• When they ask why kids their age can’t drink, explain: “Your brain is still growing. Alcohol can change how it develops and make it harder to think clearly.”

Signs to watch for:

• Talking about wanting to try alcohol
• Changes in friends or social groups
• Secretive behavior about events or peer activities

Common challenges:

• Increasing social pressure and peer comparison
• Self-consciousness about abilities or appearance
• Beginning signs of negative self-talk

Tips for parents:

• Maintain open communication: Check in daily with supportive, non-judgmental questions.
• Encourage healthy friendships: Guide them toward supportive peer relationships.
• Promote healthy coping strategies: Journaling, drawing, or physical activity.
• Model problem-solving and stress management: Show how you handle challenges calmly.

Signs to watch for:

• Sudden drop in grades or motivation
• Persistent sadness or irritability
• Expressing feelings of worthlessness

Common challenges:

• Puberty changes can trigger insecurity
• Peer pressure and media influence increase

Tips for parents:

• Discuss puberty openly: Normalize changes in bodies as part of growing up.
• Teach critical thinking about media: Help them question unrealistic images.
• Encourage healthy habits: Focus on nutrition, sleep, and exercise as self-care.

Signs to watch for:

• Negative self-talk or body dissatisfaction
• Obsessive comparison with peers
• Avoiding sports or physical activities

Common challenges:

• Difficulty with executive functioning: planning, organizing, remembering tasks
• Frustration or low self-esteem due to academic or social struggles
• Physical symptoms: headaches, dizziness, or fatigue

Tips for parents:

• Develop coping strategies: Use planners, reminders, and step-by-step guides.
• Encourage problem-solving: Help them approach challenges methodically.
• Maintain open communication: Discuss feelings about limitations or changes.
• Promote physical activity carefully: Low-risk activities that don’t overstrain.

Signs to watch for:

• Avoidance of schoolwork or activities
• Increased irritability or mood swings
• Persistent cognitive or physical fatigue

Common challenges:

• Social hierarchies, exclusion, and gossip
• Cyberbullying may begin

Tips for parents:

• Open dialogue: Regularly ask how school and friendships are going.
• Practice problem-solving: Help them think through how to respond safely to bullying.
• Encourage kindness and empathy: Highlight the importance of standing up for others.
• Teach digital safety: Monitor online behavior and discuss safe internet use.

Signs to watch for:

• Secretive about friends or online activity
• Changes in mood or behavior after school
• Reluctance to participate in previously enjoyed activities

Common challenges:

• Increasing access to technology and online games
• Curiosity about betting or sports
• Early exposure through family, friends, or media

Quick tips:

• Discuss gambling openly: Talk about how it can start small — even through games or apps — and grow into a problem.
• Set clear family rules: No gambling, betting, or “real money” games online.
• Teach financial literacy: Help them learn to budget or save for things they want.
• Encourage healthy risk-taking: Sports, new hobbies, or challenges that build confidence without financial risk.

How to respond:

• If they mention “everyone’s betting on a game,” respond calmly: “It might seem fun, but gambling can quickly lead to losing money or feeling pressured. Let’s find another way to enjoy the game.”

Common challenges:

• Increased peer exposure and curiosity
• Early experimentation may start in some groups

Tips for parents:

• Start conversations about peer pressure: Practice responses for when someone offers drugs or pills.
• Explain the risks of opioids and prescription misuse: “Even medicine from a doctor can be dangerous if it’s not prescribed for you.”
• Set clear family expectations: Explain that safety and health come first — and they can always come to you for help.
• Monitor media exposure: Talk about how movies, music, and influencers might make substance use seem “cool” when it’s not.

Signs to watch for:

• Sudden secrecy or new peer groups
• Curiosity about or discussion of “medicine” or “pills” outside of context
• Early changes in behavior or attitude

Common challenges:

• Peer comparisons and social pressure
• Understanding more complex family or life changes

Tips for parents:

• Involve them in planning: Give choices when possible (e.g., moving rooms, activities).
• Normalize mixed feelings: It’s okay to feel happy and sad at the same time.
• Support friendships and routines: Encourage ongoing social connections.
• Provide stability in daily life: Meals, bedtime, and extracurriculars help anchor them.

Signs to watch for:

• Mood swings or irritability
• Social withdrawal
• Stress-related physical symptoms (headaches, stomachaches)

Common challenges:

• Introduction to social media, online gaming, and texting
• Beginning to compare themselves to others online

Tips for parents:

• Talk about online safety: Explain privacy, not sharing personal information, and talking to strangers.
• Discuss digital citizenship: Kindness, empathy, and respect online.
• Model healthy tech use: Put devices away during family meals or conversations.
• Encourage creativity: Use tech for learning, music, art, or problem-solving — not just entertainment.

Signs to watch for:

• Obsession with likes or followers
• Mood changes tied to screen use
• Cyberbullying or exposure to negative online behavior

Common challenges:

• Forming closer friendships and dealing with peer pressure
• Understanding loyalty, trust, and boundaries

Tips for parents:

• Discuss healthy friendships: What feels good and what doesn’t.
• Teach digital kindness: How to communicate respectfully online.
• Encourage empathy: Ask how others might feel in a situation.
• Support problem-solving: Help them navigate peer issues without taking over.

Signs to watch for:

• Isolation or feeling left out
• Trying too hard to please friends or fit in
• Changes in mood tied to social situations

Common challenges:

• Curiosity about puberty, relationships, and sexual development
• Peer pressure and exposure to sexual content

Tips for parents:

• Provide accurate information about puberty: Physical changes, menstruation, erections, and hygiene.
• Discuss healthy relationships: Respect, kindness, and boundaries with friends and peers.
• Encourage safe questions: Let them know they can ask anything.
• Monitor media exposure: Discuss movies, games, or online content critically.

Signs to watch for:

• Anxiety or embarrassment about body changes
• Interest in sexual content without guidance or context

Common challenges:

• Increasing social pressures and awareness of rejection or failure
• Beginning to understand the concept of death more realistically

Tips for parents:

• Keep open lines of communication: Ask specific, caring questions like “You’ve seemed quiet lately. How are you feeling?”
• Teach coping skills: Deep breathing, journaling, talking to trusted adults.
• Address bullying and peer issues: Help them navigate conflict and friendship changes.
• Model self-care: Show that it’s okay to rest, ask for help, or talk about stress.

Warning signs to watch for:

• Withdrawal from friends or activities
• Talking about death or feeling worthless
• Sudden mood changes or risk-taking behaviors

Common challenges:

• Peer influence increases
• Media exposure and curiosity about experimentation
• Early social pressure to try tobacco

Tips for parents:

• Have ongoing conversations: Discuss the short- and long-term risks of tobacco and vaping.
• Role-play refusal skills: Practice saying “No” confidently.
• Highlight independence and choice: Emphasize that staying tobacco-free is a smart decision.
• Monitor peer influence: Know friends and social situations that may encourage experimentation.

Signs to watch for:

• Friends using tobacco or vaping
• Secretive behavior about purchases or hiding objects
• Mild cough or changes in energy

Common challenges:

• Academic pressure, friendships, and early technology use
• Developing awareness of self-image and health habits

Tips for parents:

• Encourage balanced nutrition: Teach importance of breakfast and healthy snacks.
• Support emotional wellness: Discuss feelings, coping skills, and problem-solving.
• Promote physical activity: Encourage team sports or hobbies they enjoy.
• Monitor screen time and media: Talk about healthy habits for technology use.

Signs to watch for:

• Complaints of fatigue, headaches, or stomachaches
• Increased mood swings or social withdrawal
• Sedentary habits or poor eating patterns