Tips for Promoting Behavioral Health: Grade 4-6

Make sure your child knows your rules - and that you'll enforce the consequences if rules are broken.

When parents consistently set clear rules and enforce consequences, kids are less likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. This includes no-use rules for substances as well as guidelines for things like bedtime and homework. Be clear about your expectations, keep track of your child’s activities, and follow through with fair consequences when needed. Talk about your rules and expectations in advance and stick to the consequences you’ve established.

Remember to recognize and praise your child when they follow the rules! Maintaining a warm and supportive relationship while setting boundaries helps children learn self-discipline. On the other hand, overly harsh rules or a lack of rules can increase the risk of drug use.

If you use tobacco or alcohol, consider the message you’re sending. Sometimes our actions send unintended signals. Avoid behaviors like giving your child sips of alcohol, asking them to get you a drink from the fridge, bringing them into bars or liquor stores, or having them handle your cigarettes. These actions can contradict your message about the dangers of alcohol and tobacco for children. Take a moment to reflect on how your habits may influence your child’s perception of alcohol and tobacco use.

Take a Closer Look
Parenting isn’t one-size-fits-all, and it’s helpful to reflect on your own approach. Use the Parent Self-Assessment to evaluate how well you’re setting clear rules, maintaining open communication, and modeling healthy behaviors. This tool can help you identify areas where you’re doing well and where you might want to make adjustments to better support your child’s growth and well-being.

I'd rather ________ than do drugs! Help your child fill in the blank:

Research shows that when youth are engaged in healthy activities, they are less likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. Being involved in and having a passion for something fosters skills such as communication, relationship-building, self-control, and problem solving (among others).

When youth have something they enjoy, look forward to, and are proud of, they are less likely to turn to drugs and alcohol. Encourage your child to find their passion and to "live their no". Ask them what their interests are and do what you can to encourage and support these interests.

At this age, the focus is on creating a healthy beginning and fostering positive social, emotional, and moral development that will extend through your child’s lifespan. According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, effective prevention focuses on intervening early in a child’s development before problems develop.

This age is perhaps the most important time for parents to focus on prevention. These later elementary school years are crucial to future decisions about the use of alcohol and other drugs. Research shows the earlier children begin to use alcohol and other drugs, the more likely they are to experience consequences, as well as to become addicted.

Give your children the power to make decisions that go against their peers.

Wanting to fit in, to belong, is a natural part of growing up therefore, the opinions of friends are rapidly becoming very important (perhaps more important than their parent's opinions). Children at this age should not only be taught to respect the feelings of their peers but to be responsible for their actions and to expect responsible behavior from their friends and peers. It is important to discuss with your child how to make good choices in the company of friends, say "no" to peer pressure, and discuss the importance of thinking and acting as an individual. You can reinforce this message through small things such as encouraging your child to pick out the sneakers he likes rather than the pair his four friends have.

Get to know your child's friends - and their friends' parents.

An advantage to getting to know the parents of your child's friends is that you will know the kind of people that are influencing your child. Also, by getting to know the parents, you can verify your child's statements when he or she says, "All my friends get to do it." Most importantly, connecting with the families of your child's friend will help form a safety net for your child because you can help supervise each other's children and look out for their safety. It is common in small towns for everyone to know everyone even through generations! Here are several ways you meet other families: set play-dates, arrange to share driving with other parents for after-school activities, volunteer at your child's school, join PTA, attend faith-based activities, attend sporting events or other social gatherings, etc.

Help your child find a peer group and after-school activities.

Children as young as eleven or twelve years old can be strongly influenced by the behavior of their peers. Take steps to direct your child toward the right kinds of peer groups from the start so your child will form friendships with other children in those groups. Your child will have a sense of belonging and will avoid groups that use alcohol or drugs. You can further encourage your child’s social life by helping them become involved in activities with other children who share the same interest. Structured after-school programs such as sports, scouts, 4H, music, dance, or faith-based activities will provide your child an opportunity to meet other children with similar interest and gain self-confidence by developing skills and talents. It will also give your child something constructive to do after school because the hours after school are often times when children first experiment with drugs, especially if they are unsupervised.

Talk to your kids about substance-related messages received through the media.

Our culture bombards us with positive messages about alcohol and other drugs. Teach your child to be aware of how drugs and alcohol are promoted by explaining that these companies are trying to convince consumers to buy their products in order to make a profit. Alcohol and tobacco industries are increasingly directing these ads at young people. Discuss with your child how messages- from TV, song lyrics, billboards, and advertisements – glamorize the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and may not tell the whole story.

Find out more information about alcohol and the media.

Inhalants are gases and vapors from products used in homes, offices, and schools that are inhaled. Because they get into the lungs and blood so quickly and because they are toxins and pollutants, they damage all parts of the body. When people abuse inhalants, they are really poisoning themselves.

In North Dakota, inhalants are the 2nd most abused substance (alcohol being the first) among middle school students with one in ten middle school students who have abuse inhalants (YRBS, 2009). Inhalants are not a drug, they are a poison.

Here are some tips for talking to your child about the dangers of household products...

• Discuss what poisons are and what effects they have on a healthy body.
• Talk about oxygen and how it is needed to sustain life.
• Open windows or use fans when products call for proper ventilation.
• Discuss the purpose of common household and commercial products. Emphasize that, when not used properly, certain fumes or gases may harm the body, act as a poison, and can make the child sick.
• Read product labels together. Talk about the directions and answer any questions your child may have. Check the label to see if use by children is recommended before your child uses a product.
• Educate your child about the dangers, but avoid educating about specific products being abused as inhalants.
• Monitor your child’s activities.

What not to say...

• Do not discuss specific products that are abused.
• Do not inform your child that these products will get you high.
• Never explain or demonstrate techniques for inhaling products.