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Peer pressure is one of the inevitable parts of every child’s life that they can’t avoid. It’s one of the common challenges which everyone has faced in his/her life. However, it all started in school and teachers always use peer pressure as a factor to motivate students to perform better in their academics.

According to researchgate.net, also we can witness that most of the teachers agree that they use societal pressure to make their students score higher grades.
 

Source: researchgate.net
 

Moreover, instead of instilling fear of peer pressure in students, it’s better to help them become individuals who believe in themselves to achieve any academic or life goals.

In this blog post, we will be exploring some of the essential tips for teachers and parents with which they can help children deal with peer pressure confidently.

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So, without any further delay, let’s get started.

1. Encourage Them to Become Leaders of Their Lives

One of the effective ways to teach students to deal with peer pressure is by encouraging students to become leaders in their lives, not followers. You can consider focusing on the importance of staying true to yourself, which will teach students to make the right choices for their academic and personal life goals, which also aligns with their own authentic self.

Every student learns mostly from their parents and teachers, so it’s better before you even preach about being true to yourself, you must become a role model by doing what’s right can encourage students also instill a sense of confidence and pride within children.

To foster leadership qualities within every student, you must teach them the basic difference between learning and following their peers. This will make them understand that it may be difficult to stay on their own unique path instead of following the herd mentality which will help to overcome the peer pressure.

2. Teach Them to Say “No”

One of the crucial skills also which every responsible teacher and parent should teach their student to overcome peer pressure is to say “No” confidently and assertively. By teaching them to say “No” you can help students to state themselves assertively and be able to deal with peer pressure.

Note: When they are saying no, they don’t need to be rude, they can say it politely and yet firmly.

You can incorporate activities in your classroom like role-playing. You can give different scenarios to students especially those who feel pressured to say “No”. Additionally, you can also teach them about body language, such as- standing straight without slouching, keeping their head up, etc. which helps them to be and feel confident.

3. Teaching Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Skills

One of the best ways to help students deal with peer pressure is by helping them develop the decision-making skills and critical thinking skills. You can help students to understand the consequences of their choices by asking questions like - what result could I expect if I do this? Or what actions should I take to make myself proud? By encouraging students to think will ultimately help them to make decisions correctly by prioritizing well-being and safety.

Additionally, you can also consider teaching students to take time and analyze the situation critically in their minds to deal with peer pressure. If the potential outcome is negative then you can consider suggestions to avoid the situation. All these activities will foster critical thinking and help children to make informed decisions.

4. Teach Them to Trust Themselves

Teaching students to have faith and trust themselves can prove to be beneficial for students to not just deal with peer pressure but it can also help them to navigate to different life situations. You can let students know that it’s totally fine to feel confused and uncertain whether you’ve made the right decision or not. In this kind of situation teach students to trust their instinct and trust their gut feeling.

You can consider sharing real-life stories and examples where trusting instinctive voice led to desired outcomes. This will help every student to feel empowered and confident to deal with peer pressure.

5. Encourage Them to Seek Advice from Adults

Lastly, you can prepare your students for every situation but sometimes they feel overwhelmed with peer pressure. You can suggest students ask for suggestions from their trusted adults when they can’t handle the situation anymore by themselves.

Suggest them to reach out to their school counsellor, parents, and teachers who can provide the necessary support and give valuable advice, which can help them to deal with peer pressure situations successfully.

Let them know that adults have already gone through peer pressure situations and they can provide valuable insights and advice that will help every student deal with the negative effects of peer pressure successfully.

Help Students to Deal with Peer Pressure to Ensure Their Success

Peer pressure is one of the inevitable parts of every child’s which every child has to face in their life. This can bring lots of pressure and anxiety over students that can affect their academic performance and in their personal life as well. However, those teachers who have pursued courses like the Certificate in Counselling Course for Teachers, know how to prepare students to deal with peer pressure and prepare them to become individual thinkers and make their own unique path.

However, in this blog post, we have shared various strategies with which you can help students deal with peer pressure, which will make them resilient individuals who can make smart choices to deal with peer pressure effectively.