# data[].attributes.body
Mental and Emotional Health

Physical Activity

Healthy Eating

Trauma

Preventing Alcohol/Drug Use

Death/Greif/Loss

Intentional Injury and Violence

Personal Health and Wellness

# data[].attributes.headline
Effects of COVID-19 and the Rise of Physical and Verbal Abuse

# data[].attributes.subject
Effects of COVID-19 and the Rise of Physical and Verbal Abuse

# data[].attributes.body
This article goes over how the student’s mental health has worsened over the years, the rise in physical and verbal abuse in households may be to blame this is posted by APA.org. Since COVID there have been tons of kids experiencing and witnessing trauma through parents passing away or losing employment. There was also a rise in students experiencing verbal and physical abuse in the home. The need for students to receive mental health instruction and care is higher than ever before. Students in elementary are not exempt to experience these traumas and mental health crisis. Students need to have conversations in school about what to do in the scenario of having a panic attacks or a depressive episode. This article covers the importance of teachers acknowledging this crisis and being prepared to cover the topics at an age-appropriate level. Teachers can learn about the crisis occurring in general education classrooms and learn how to prepare themselves to teach students about their mental health.

Abrams, Z. (2023, January 1). Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-health

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Research is focused on child and teen mental health, exploring why they are struggling and what can be done to help them

Cite this

Abrams, Z. (2023, January 1). Kids' mental health is in crisis. Here's what psychologists are doing to help. Monitor on Psychology, 54(1). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-health

This content is disabled due to your privacy settings. To re-enable, please adjust your cookie preferences.

The Covid-19 pandemic era ushered in a new set of challenges for youth in the United States, leading to a mental health crisis as declared by the United States surgeon general just over a year ago. But U.S. children and teens have been suffering for far longer.

In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness-as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors-increased by about 40% among young people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

"We're seeing really high rates of suicide and depression, and this has been going on for a while," said psychologist Kimberly Hoagwood, PhD, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine. "It certainly got worse during the pandemic."

In addition to the social isolation and academic disruption nearly all children and teens faced, many also lost caregivers to Covid-19, had a parent lose their job, or were victims of physical or emotional abuse at home.

All these difficulties, on top of growing concerns about social media, mass violence, natural disasters, climate change, and political polarization-not to mention the normal ups and downs of childhood and adolescence-can feel insurmountable for those who work with kids.

"The idea of a 'mental health crisis' is really broad. For providers and parents, the term can be anxiety-provoking," said Melissa Brymer, PhD, who directs terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. "Part of our role is to highlight specific areas that are critical in this discussion."

Across the field, psychologists are doing just that. In addition to studying the biological, social, and structural contributors to the current situation, they are developing and disseminating solutions to families, in schools, and at the state level. They're exploring ways to improve clinical training and capacity and working to restructure policies to support the most vulnerable children and teens.

Psychologists were also behind new mental health recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of volunteer health professionals who evaluate evidence on various preventive health services. The task force now recommends regular anxiety screenings for youth ages 8 to 18 and regular depression screenings for adolescents ages 12 to 18.

"I see these trends in children's mental health problems as being critical, but there are solutions," Hoagwood said. "If we refocus our efforts toward those solutions, we could see some of these tides turn."

This content is disabled due to your privacy settings. To re-enable, please adjust your cookie preferences.

Sources of stress

Across the United States, more than 200,000 children lost a parent or primary caregiver to Covid-19 ("Covid-19 Orphanhood," Imperial College London, 2022). In the face of those losses, families had to curtail mourning rituals and goodbye traditions because of social distancing requirements and other public health measures, Brymer said. Many children are still grieving, sometimes while facing added challenges such as moving to a different home or transferring to a new school with unfamiliar peers.

The CDC also reports that during the pandemic, 29% of U.S. high school students had a parent or caregiver who lost their job, 55% were emotionally abused by a parent or caregiver, and 11% were physically abused (Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey-United States, January-June 2021, CDC).

"Schools are crucial for keeping kids safe and connecting them with services, but the pandemic completely disrupted those kinds of supports," Brymer said.

Those extreme disruptions didn't affect all young people equally. Echoing pre-Covid-19 trends, the CDC also found that girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and those who have experienced racism were more likely to have poor mental health during the pandemic, said social psychologist Kathleen Ethier, PhD, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health.

Contributing factors likely include stigma, discrimination, and online bullying, Ethier said. Female students also report much higher levels of sexual violence than their male peers, which can further harm mental health.

As much hardship as Covid-19 wrought, it's far from the only factor contributing to the current crisis. Biology also appears to play a role. The age of puberty has been dropping for decades, especially in girls, likely leading to difficulty processing complex feelings and knowing what to do about them ( Eckert-Lind, C., et al., JAMA Pediatrics, Vol. 174, No. 4, 2020). In early puberty, regions of the brain linked to emotions and social behavior are developing more quickly than regions responsible for the cognitive control of behavior, such as the prefrontal cortex, Ethier said.

Those developmental changes drive young people to seek attention and approval from their peers. For some, using social media fulfills that need in a healthy way, providing opportunities for connection and validation to youth who may be isolated from peers, geographically or otherwise.

For others, negative messages-including online bullying and unrealistic standards around physical appearance-appear to have a detrimental effect, but more research is needed to understand who is most at risk.

"There is clearly some aspect of young people's online life that's contributing [to the mental health crisis], we just don't know exactly what that is," said Ethier.

Finally, structural factors that affect millions of U.S. children, including poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and lack of access to health care and educational opportunities, can lead to stress-response patterns that are known to underlie mental health challenges.

"Even in very young children, prolonged stress can trigger a cycle of emotion-regulation problems, which can in turn lead to anxiety, depression, and behavioral difficulties," Hoagwood said. "These things are well established, but we're not doing enough as a field to address them."

Building capacity in schools

The biggest challenge facing mental health care providers right now, experts say, is a shortage of providers trained to meet the mounting needs of children and adolescents.

"There's a growing recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health in young people's development, but that's happening just as mental health services are under extreme strain," said clinical psychologist Robin Gurwitch, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.

Schools, for example, are a key way to reach and help children-but a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that only about half of U.S. public schools offer mental health assessments and even fewer offer treatment services. Psychologists are now ramping up efforts to better equip schools to support student well-being onsite.

Much of that work involves changing policies at the school or district level to provide more support for all students. For example, school connectedness-the degree to which young people feel that adults and peers at school care about them and are invested in their success-is a key contributor to mental health. Youth who felt connected during middle and high school have fewer problems with substance use, mental health, suicidality, and risky sexual behavior as adults ( Steiner, R. J., et al., Pediatrics, Vol. 144, No. 1, 2019).

Through its What Works in Schools program, the CDC funds school districts to make changes that research shows foster school connectedness. Those include improving classroom management, implementing service-learning programs for students in their communities, bringing mentors from the community into schools, and making schools safer and more supportive for LGBTQ+ students.

Psychologists are also building training programs to help teachers and other school staff create supportive classrooms and aid students who are in distress. Classroom Wise (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network and the University of Maryland's National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), is a free, flexible online course and resource library that draws on psychological research on social-emotional learning, behavioral regulation, mental health literacy, trauma, and more ( Evidence-Based Components of Classroom Wise (PDF, 205KB), NCSMH, 2021).

"We're using evidence-based practices from child and adolescent mental health but making these strategies readily available for teachers to apply in the classroom," said clinical psychologist Nancy Lever, PhD, codirector of NCSMH, who helped develop Classroom Wise.

The course incorporates the voices of students and educators and teaches actionable strategies such as how to create rules and routines that make classrooms feel safe and how to model emotional self-regulation. The strategies can be used by anyone who interacts with students, from teachers and administrators to school nurses, coaches, and bus drivers.

"What we need is to build capacity through all of the systems that are part of children's lives-in families, in schools, in the education of everybody who interacts with children," said psychologist Ann Masten, PhD, a professor of child development at the University of Minnesota.

Other training efforts focus on the students themselves. Given that preteens and teenagers tend to seek support from their peers before turning to adults, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) created conversation cards to equip kids with basic skills for talking about suicide. The advice, available in English and Spanish, includes how to ask about suicidal thoughts, how to listen without judgment, and when to seek guidance from an adult ( Talking About Suicide With Friends and Peers, NCTSN, 2021).

While training people across the school population to spot and address mental health concerns can help reduce the strain on mental health professionals, there will always be a subset of students who need more specialized support.

Telehealth, nearly ubiquitous these days, is one of the best ways to do that. In South Carolina, psychologist Regan Stewart, PhD, and her colleagues colaunched the Telehealth Outreach Program at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2015. Today, nearly every school in the state has telehealth equipment (Wi-Fi and tablets or laptops that kids can use at school or take home) and access to providers (psychology and social work graduate students and clinicians trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy). Students who need services, which are free thanks to grant funding or covered by Medicaid, meet one-on-one with their clinician during the school day or after hours (American Psychologist, Vol. 75, No. 8, 2020).

"We learned a lot about the use of technology during the pandemic," Ethier said. "At this point, it's very much a matter of having sufficient resources so more school districts can access those sources of care."

Expanding the workforce

Limited resources are leaving families low on options, with some young people making multiple trips to the emergency room for mental health-related concerns or spending more than six months on a waiting list for mental health support. That points to a need for more trained emergency responders and psychiatric beds, psychologists say, but also for better upstream screening and prevention to reduce the need for intensive care.

"Just as we need more capacity for psychiatric emergencies in kids, we also need an infusion of knowledge and ordinary strategies to support mental health on the positive side," Masten said.

In New York, Hoagwood helped launch the state-funded Evidence Based Treatment Dissemination Center in 2006, which offers free training on evidence-based practices for trauma, behavioral and attention problems, anxiety, depression, and more to all mental health professionals who work with children in state-licensed programs, which include foster care, juvenile justice, and school settings, among others. The center provides training on a core set of tools known as PracticeWise ( Chorpita, B. F., & Daleiden E. L., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 77, No. 3, 2009). It also offers tailored training based on requests from community agency leaders and clinicians who provide services to children and their families.

Hoagwood, in collaboration with a consortium of family advocates, state officials, and researchers, also helped build and test a state-approved training model and credentialing program for family and youth peer advocates. The peer advocate programs help expand the mental health workforce while giving families access to peers who have similar lived experience ( Psychiatric Services, Vol. 71, No. 5, 2020).

Youth peer advocates are young adults who have personal experience with systems such as foster care, juvenile justice, or state psychiatric care. They work within care teams to provide basic education and emotional support to other youth, such as giving advice on what questions to ask a new mental health practitioner and explaining the differences between psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Youth peer advocates in New York can now receive college credit for their training in peer specialist work.

"Making community health work into a viable career can also increase diversity among mental health workers and help us address structural racism," Hoagwood said.

Pediatricians are another group that can provide a first line of defense, drawing on their relationships with parents to destigmatize mental health care.

"Pediatricians are in many ways uniquely positioned to help address the mental health crisis in youth," said Janine A. Rethy, MD, MPH, division chief of community pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "We have the privilege of building long-term relationships with children and their families over many years," with at least 12 well-child checkups in just the first three years of a child's life, followed by annual visits.

During these visits, they can watch for warning signs of social and behavioral problems and screen for maternal depression and other issues in parents, which is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (PDF, 660KB). Several new resources provide guidance for integrating mental health care into pediatric practices, including the Behavioral Health Integration Compendium (PDF, 4.1MB) and the Healthy Steps program. But most pediatricians need more education on mental health issues in order to effectively respond, Rethy said-yet another area where psychologists may be able to help. Psychologists can provide direct consultations and training to pediatricians through the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program.

"The more we can weave mental health knowledge, capacity, and checkpoints into places where parents feel comfortable-like the doctor's office and at school-the better," Masten said. "All professionals who work with young people really need the knowledge that's being generated by psychologists."

11 emerging trends for 2023

Further reading

Science shows how to protect kids' mental health, but it's being ignored
Prinstein, M., & Ethier, K. A., Scientific American, 2022

How pediatricians can help mitigate the mental health crisis
Rethy, J. A., & Chawla, E. M., Contemporary Pediatrics, 2022

Review: Structural racism, children's mental health service systems, and recommendations for policy and practice change
Alvarez, K., et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022

Six Things Psychologists are Talking About

The APA Monitor on Psychology ® sister e-newsletter offers fresh articles on psychology trends, new research, and more.

Speaking of Psychology

Subscribe to APA's audio podcast series highlighting some of the most important and relevant psychological research being conducted today.

Subscribe to Speaking of Psychology and download via:

Apple

Spotify

Contact APA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kids' mental health is in crisis. Here's what psychologists are doing to help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Research is focused on child and teen mental health, exploring why they are struggling and what can be done to help them

# data[].attributes.headline
Students in Pre-K-4 and Physical Activity

# data[].attributes.subject
Students in Pre-K-4 and Physical Activity

# data[].attributes.body
This article goes over how students need physical activity throughout the day and goes over the guidelines they have. This CDC article goes over the importance of student getting physical activity during the day. Specifically, students need 3 types of physical activity that the article lists. The first one is aerobic activities, following is muscling-strengthening, then finally is bone-strengthening. The students typically get 60 minutes of aerobic activity daily. The others should happen 3 days a week at a minimum. This important for teachers to realize so that way they can incorporate it into their lessons. During health students need to learn when and how to do physical activity, it needs to be encouraged in and out of school.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, October 7). How Much Physical Activity Do Children need? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/children/index.htm

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The amount of physical activity children need depends on their age. Children ages 3 through 5 years need to be active throughout the day. Children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 need to be active for 60 minutes every day.

This may sound like a lot, but don't worry! Children may already be meeting the recommended physical activity levels. You can also see ways to encourage children to participate in activities that are age-appropriate, enjoyable, and offer variety.
Recommendations for Children Ages 3 Through 5 Years

Be physically active throughout the day for growth and development.

Adult caregivers should encourage children to be active when they play.

Recommendations for Children and Adolescents Ages 6 Through 17 Years

60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each day.

Aerobic activity: Most of the daily 60 minutes should include activities like walking, running, or anything that makes their hearts beat faster. At least 3 days a week should include vigorous-intensity activities.

Muscle-strengthening: Includes activities like climbing or doing push-ups, at least 3 days per week.

Bone-strengthening: Includes activities such as jumping or running, at least 3 days per week.

Want examples of what counts? Check out the aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening activity for children and adolescents.

Also, school-based physical activity can help children meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

On a scale of 0 to 10, where sitting is a 0 and the highest level of activity is a 10, moderate-intensity activity is a 5 or 6. When children do moderate-intensity activity, their heart beats faster, and they breathe much harder than when they are at rest or sitting. Vigorous-intensity activity is a level 7 or 8. When children do vigorous-intensity activity, their heart beats much faster than normal, and they breathe much harder than normal.

Another example is when children walk to school with friends each morning, they're probably doing moderate-intensity aerobic activity. But when children run, or chase others while playing tag during recess, they're probably doing vigorous-intensity activity.

Some physical activity is better-suited for children than adolescents. For example, younger children usually strengthen their muscles when they do gymnastics, play on a jungle gym, or climb trees. Children do not usually need formal muscle-strengthening programs, such as lifting weights. As children grow older and become adolescents, they may start structured weight lifting programs. They may do these types of programs along with their sports team practices.

How can you help children get the recommended amount of physical activity? Find out here.

Connect with Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How much physical activity do children need?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The amount of physical activity children need depends on their age. See recommendations for ages 3 through 17.

# data[].attributes.body
This article is made for students to understand their nutritional needs posted by Myplate, a government nutrition guide for all ages. Students can use multiple different games and educational materials to learn about their own nutrition. Some of the games in the article ask students to build their own plate, including the food groups and examples in each. In the article, there are so many resources for teachers as well. The source asks for the students to complete a pledge for maintaining a "healthy plate". Overall, this source can provide a lot of resources towards students' nutritional health. It's important for teachers to have access to all of these resources and curriculum. It can truly help students further their educational needs, as they grow. For teachers this source can allow for opportunities of learning that they may not have originally thought of.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2023). Kids | MyPlate. Www.myplate.gov. https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
MyPlate Tips on Alexa

Get MyPlate nutrition information straight to your home on your Amazon Alexa smart speaker, or on your phone or tablet via the free Amazon Alexa app. For more information, visit our MyPlate Alexa page.

Below are some of the many tips available for parents and caregivers on what and how to feed your kids. And just like the MyPlate.gov website and MyPlate tools, all of the information provided by MyPlate on Alexa is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MyPlate has information and materials for kids/ children. Get kids started on a healthy eating adventure with these games and activities! Teach them about MyPlate and the 5 food groups to set them on a path towards a healthy future.

# data[].attributes.body
This article explains to teachers any and all of the symptoms the students may be experiencing when they have gone through a traumatic event this was published by the National MHA. This website explains to teachers and adults what a trauma reaction is. The article discusses how males and females react to trauma differently and what teachers should look for in students. An example from the article is that males tend to show outward acts and can be more disruptive in the classroom. But females tend to turn inwards and react quietly. These are both important to adults in the students lives to look out for. Overall, this article is relating to K-4 students by explaining symptoms and behaviors that may be warning signs for a child going through a traumatic event.

How Trauma Impacts School Performance. (n.d.). Mental Health America. https://www.mhanational.org/how-trauma-impacts-school-performance

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It can be helpful to think about "big 'T' Trauma" and "little 't' trauma." Big 'T' Trauma is what most people think of when it comes to traumatic events - things like physical abuse or the sudden death of a parent. Little 't' trauma refers to events that may not be as obviously traumatic but can still be too much for a child's brain to process - things like parents fighting a lot at home or struggling to connect with peers.

Here are some issues that students may be struggling with this school year:

COVID-19:
The fear, uncertainty, and general upheaval that the pandemic caused has been (and continues to be) traumatic for many. Many youths are dealing with significant grief - over 1.5 million children have lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to COVID-19. ¹ Rates of substance use ² and family violence/abuse ³ have increased during the pandemic, and even just heightened anger and arguing in the home can be traumatic.

RACIAL INJUSTICE:
In the U.S., Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students are vulnerable to racial trauma due to living in a system of white supremacy. Race-based discrimination and violence have been prominent in media coverage, which can be triggering and retraumatizing for students with marginalized identities.

SCHOOL FEARS:
The start of a new school year is often particularly challenging for students who have faced bullying or exclusion from their peers. A number of students may be dealing with severe separation anxiety after having spent more time at home recently, or if they saw less of their parent(s) during the pandemic due to essential work and fear that happening again.

Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms the individual's ability to cope. Trauma is subjective - a traumatic experience for one person may not be traumatic for another, but that does not mean it is any less real for the person who is traumatized.

People of all ages experience trauma, but it has a particularly long-lasting impact on children as their brains are still rapidly developing. Often, children and adolescents don't have the necessary coping skills to manage the impact of stressful events on their own or the language to explain their feelings (or even what happened).

WHAT DOES TRAUMA LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM?

There's no one way for children and teens to respond to trauma, but here are some signs to look out for:

Excessive anger or irritability

Unusual startle reactions

Significantly increased or reduced appetite

Exhaustion

Aggression (physical or verbal)

Regular tardiness/absence from class

Perfectionist or controlling behavior

Difficulty concentrating

Frequent headaches or stomachaches

Low self-confidence

Hoarding (snacks, school supplies)

Risky behavior (substance use, sex)

Panic attacks

Extreme self-reliance or hyper-independence

Running away

Defiance

Alienation from peers (self-isolation or inability to relate/make friends)

It's important to keep in mind that trauma responses can vary by culture, race, gender, geographic location, and other factors - and students have all had different traumatic experiences over the last year. Many students and families may have dealt with vaccine anxiety, but likely not as intensely as Black Americans who thought back to the Tuskegee Study. In terms of trauma response behaviors, girls are more likely to turn inward and get quiet or retreat from social settings, while boys are more likely to get outwardly irritable or disrupt the class. All behavior is a form of communication - if a student's actions or demeanor are disruptive or strike you as "off," think about it from a trauma lens and consider what they might be trying to express as needs or wants.

Social-emotional Development: Experiencing trauma, especially at a young age, disrupts young people's ability to relate to others and manage emotions. Without healthy coping skills, this often leads to poor in-class behavior, which can reduce learning time and increase rates of suspension and expulsion.

Academic Performance: Trauma can undermine many skills that are crucial for learning, including the development of language and communication skills, the ability to organize and remember new information, and reading comprehension. Students coping with trauma may experience intrusive thoughts or flashbacks that prevent them from paying attention in class, studying, or focusing during timed assignments. School-related trauma (like bullying or unfair punishment) often leads to school avoidance, leaving the most vulnerable students behind academically. Trauma also negatively impacts young people's sense of self, making it difficult for those students to feel motivated, proud, and engaged in their learning.
If you notice these symptoms in a child or teen, you may want to consider or encourage a mental health screening. A screening is a free, anonymous, and confidential way to see if a person is showing signs of a mental health condition. Screening tools for young people and parents are available at MHAScreening.org. Once completed, screeners are given information about the next steps to take based on results.
SOURCES

¹Hillis, S.D., Unwin, H.J.T., et al. (2021). Global minimum estimates of children affected by COVID-19-associated orphanhood and deaths of caregivers: a modelling study. The Lancet, 398(10298), 391-402.

²Abramson, A. (2021). Substance use during the pandemic. Monitor on Psychology, 52(2). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/03/substance-use-pandemic

³Usher, K., Jones, C.B., et al. (2021). COVID-19 and family violence: Is this a perfect storm? International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12876

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here are some issues that students may be struggling with this school year.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teaching Elementary Students About Drug and Alcohol Prevention.

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching Elementary Students About Drug and Alcohol Prevention.

# data[].attributes.body
This article talks about 6 different ways to discuss substance abuse prevention with elementary school students created by positive action. The students will benefit from this instruction, it gives a look into all of the negative of doing any alcohol or drugs in their lives. It talks about the statistics behind early prevention efforts in students' lives. The steps in the article include defining, equipping, introducing positive role models, discussing, promoting self-esteem, and discussing the role of social media. In an elementary classroom, talking about this in the early years can bring down the crime rate later on in the students lives. This article is important for the teachers in K-4 because it lists out so many different ways for the teacher to instruct this health education. Preventing students from using drugs or drinking alcohol is super important in health class, in K-4 the students most likely won't know what they are and its better to prepare them early.

Building Resilience: 6 Ways to Teach Kids Substance Abuse Prevention. (n.d.). Www.positiveaction.net. https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/teach-substance-abuse-prevention-to-elementary-students

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Discover 6 strategies for teaching elementary school children about substance abuse prevention. Equip them with the knowledge to make smart decisions.

" Soon after teaching our children to cross the street, it's time to start protecting them from substance use. " - Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services

Did you know that early prevention education is the most effective way to discourage substance use among high school students?

For many years, educators have relied on substance abuse prevention programs that lacked solid evidence, and were implemented too late -often in middle school.

Unfortunately, this decision has had a disastrous impact on our communities and society as a whole, resulting in:

Increased substance abuse rates among students, since they become more susceptible to experimentation and peer pressure without early intervention

Allowing substance abuse to take hold, resulting in various health issues such as addiction, organ damage, impaired cognitive function, and mental health disorders

Students experiencing difficulties in school, including poor attendance, decreased motivation, lower grades, and increased risk of dropping out

Increased crime rates, since individuals may resort to illegal activities to support their addiction

Thankfully, there's a solution.

By implementing evidence-based prevention education, like Positive Action's Substance Abuse Prevention, as early as elementary school, we have the power to make a positive impact on the well-being of our communities and create a brighter future for generations to come.

In today's article, we'll explore six ways to achieve this.

We'll guide you through how to use this evidence-based program to engage your students in discussions about the effects of drugs on their mental and physical health, introduce healthy alternatives, analyze risky situations, and more.

Additionally, we'll emphasize the importance of helping your elementary school students develop a strong sense of self-esteem, positive self-concept, and connection with their peers.

So, let's get started.

1 - Begin by Defining Substance Abuse and Its Effects

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

When it comes to teaching substance abuse prevention to elementary school children, it's paramount to begin by making them understand what substance abuse actually means

Definition: Substance abuse refers to the harmful and excessive use of drugs or alcohol that can have negative consequences on a person's physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Children need to be aware that certain substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, and illegal drugs, can be dangerous when misused or used without proper guidance.

By explaining this concept in an age-appropriate manner, you'll teach children that substances like drugs and alcohol are intended for adult use, under specific circumstances, and with proper guidance from healthcare professionals.

By doing so, you get to lay the foundation for educating them about the importance of making safe and responsible choices regarding drugs and alcohol.

In turn, this knowledge will empower them to develop healthy habits and avoid engaging in risky behaviors as they grow older.

However, it's important to strike a balance between age-appropriate information and overwhelming children with complex details.

Always define substance abuse in a clear, straightforward manner to help them grasp the basic concept without causing unnecessary fear or confusion.

The key is to keep the explanation simple and relatable to their everyday experiences. You can further clarify by giving examples of substances they might have heard of, such as:

Medicine that's not prescribed by a doctor

Alcohol that's only for grown-ups

Cigarettes that are not safe for kids

Be sure to emphasize that substance and alcohol abuse is something we want to prevent by making smart choices.

Assure the children that by knowing about substance abuse and how to make healthy decisions, they'll be empowered to protect themselves and stay safe.

By using a friendly and non-threatening tone, they'll better understand the concept of substance abuse without feeling scared or overwhelmed.

Take advantage of Positive Action's Substance Abuse Prevention program to educate your elementary school child on substance abuse and its effects.

Positive Action's approach doesn't rely on scare tactics that might instill unnecessary fear and anxiety in children.

Instead, it focuses on fostering a supportive and positive school climate that encourages open dialogue, critical thinking, and life skills development.

This, in turn, allows children to develop resilience and cultivate healthy coping mechanisms.

2 - Equip the Children With Healthy Coping Skills

Photo by Ismail Salad Osman Hajji dirir on Unsplash

By incorporating coping skills into substance abuse prevention programs, you provide children with the essential tools they need to navigate life's difficulties and challenges in healthy and productive ways.

This knowledge equips them with lifelong skills that contribute to their overall well-being and reduces the likelihood of them turning to substances as a coping mechanism.

Some of the coping skills you can teach the children include:

Peer resistance skills: Teach children how to assertively say "no" to peers who offer them drugs or encourage substance use.

Help them practice refusal skills and provide them with alternative responses or strategies to navigate peer pressure effectively.

Problem-solving and decision-making: Teach children problem-solving skills to help them make responsible choices when faced with challenging situations.

Guide them in identifying the problem, exploring potential solutions, and considering the consequences of their actions.

Healthy communication and expression: Encourage children to express their thoughts, feelings, and concerns openly and assertively.

Teach them effective communication skills, such as active listening and expressing themselves respectfully, to foster healthy relationships and seek support when needed.

One of the most effective ways to teach these skills is through role-play and peer interactions.

By assuming various roles and acting out scenarios, children will experience firsthand how these coping strategies can be used in real-life situations. This will help them to internalize and understand the effectiveness of coping skills.

Encouraging them to participate in physical activities they enjoy, such as sports, singing, dancing, or yoga can also help reduce stress, boost mood, and promote their overall well-being.

Take, for instance, Ronda Walters in second grade, a talented student who recently orchestrated a captivating musical program for her fellow elementary peers, drawing inspiration from Positive Action's Musical program.

Such practices serve as a powerful reinforcement of the valuable lessons the children learn through Positive Action, with their impacts extending beyond music classes.

They serve as coping skills and help equip children with a positive mindset to help them make healthy decisions when faced with peer pressure or other forms of drug-related temptation.

3 - Introduce Them to Positive Role Models and Mentors

In a world where substance abuse often receives media attention, it's essential to introduce children to role models who've achieved remarkable success without the need of drugs or alcohol.

" Role models set goals for you and try to make you as good as they are. Role models are important." - Kasey Zacharias

These role models serve as shining examples, demonstrating to children that they can reach great heights while maintaining a substance-free lifestyle.

Take, for instance, world-class athletes who've reached the pinnacle of their sports without resorting to performance-enhancing substances.

These individuals demonstrate the importance of self-discipline, perseverance, and a healthy lifestyle.

By highlighting their accomplishments, your students can learn that true athletic prowess comes from natural abilities, rigorous training, and a focus on overall well-being.

You can also consider role models in various fields such as:

Entrepreneurs and business leaders

Artists and musicians

Leaders in various fields, such as science and technology

Introducing children to these role models will shape their aspirations and worldview. These individuals become beacons of inspiration who prove that a substance-free lifestyle is not only possible but can lead to remarkable achievements and personal fulfillment.

Celebrating their accomplishments will empower children to pursue their dreams, make positive choices, and become the architects of their own success stories.

Just be sure to present these role models in an engaging and relatable manner, highlighting their unique journeys and emphasizing the qualities and values that propelled them to success.

By instilling your admiration for them, you'll empower children to set their sights high and embrace a substance-free path toward their own extraordinary accomplishments.

4 - Discuss Ways to Resist Peer Pressure

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

It's usually said that we become most like the people we surround ourselves with. This is true for children too.

Peer pressure is a major part of children's lives, yet it's a powerful force that influences their decisions, including substance abuse.

If your students surround themselves with people who abuse drugs and alcohol, there's a high chance that they'll do the same.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to teach them how to resist temptation and peer pressure.

Here's why:

By discussing strategies to resist peer pressure, children understand that it's okay to say "no" and stand up for themselves. This encourages independent decision-making.

Discussing ways to resist peer pressure helps children understand the potential consequences of giving in to negative influences.

Discussing ways to resist peer pressure helps children recognize the importance of positive social support networks that can help them stay on a substance-free path.

Exploring ways to resist peer pressure cultivates decision-making and critical thinking skills. These skills allow them to make informed decisions that align with their personal well-being and long-term goals.

Case studies are an excellent way of helping children understand peer pressure from a realistic standpoint.

They can analyze real-life situations involving people who made choices under pressure, and the consequences they faced, without actually having to experience the situation themselves.

Teaching them assertiveness skills will also enable them to express their thoughts and make their own choices.

You can do this by creating role-playing activities that simulate peer pressure situations involving substance abuse.

Allow the children to take turns playing different roles, including the one resisting peer pressure.

Pro Tip: Encourage them to use "I" statements to assert their boundaries, such as " I don't want to use drugs because it's not good for my health."

This hands-on approach will help them develop effective strategies and boost their confidence in real-life situations.

Parental involvement also plays a major role when teaching children about resisting peer pressure.

By encouraging an open dialogue between your students and their parents, a foundation of trust and open communication is created.

This will help parents provide the guidance and support their children need when facing peer pressure.

Additionally, parental involvement not only reinforces what is taught in class but also provides students with additional resources, like advice and guidance, from someone more experienced than them.

Note: Positive Action offers several Parental Involvement programs that help to cultivate strong family dynamics and empower parents to provide support for their children.

Some of these programs include:

Family Kit: User-friendly kit designed to strengthen family relationships and ignite student interest in learning.

With its convenient 15-minute lessons, it seamlessly integrates Positive Action concepts into the daily lives of busy families, creating a valuable link between home and school.

Family Classes Kit: Designed to be used in conjunction with the Family Kit to support high-need and at-risk families, as well as in court-mandated scenarios, or as a training resource for families within a school or other group setting.

The table below provides valuable tips for the effective implementation of substance abuse prevention programs in elementary schools, ensuring a comprehensive and impactful approach.

Establish clear goals

Define specific objectives for the program

Involve school staff

Collaborate with teachers and counselors

Incorporate life skills

Teach decision-making and problem-solving

Evaluate progress

Regularly assess the effectiveness of the program

Create a supportive environment

Foster a safe and supportive school environment

Collaborate with parents

Engage parents in reinforcing prevention messages

5 - Promote Positive Self-Esteem

" Nothing profits more than self-esteem, grounded on what is just and right. " - John Milton

When children have positive self-esteem, they develop a strong sense of self-worth and recognize their own unique qualities, strengths, and talents.

This sense of self-worth and value acts as a protective factor, making them less likely to seek validation through substance use.

They understand that their value comes from within, rather than from external sources or negative peer influences.

As an educator, you have a responsibility to protect your students from substance abuse by helping them to develop high self-esteem.

High self-esteem will empower your students to assert themselves and set healthy boundaries.

When children feel good about themselves, they develop a sense of personal responsibility and are motivated to make choices that align with their positive self-perception.

They're more inclined to critically evaluate potential risks and consequences associated with substance use, making informed decisions that prioritize their health and future goals.

Below are three effective ways of cultivating positive self-esteem among your students:

Encourage self-acceptance: Teach your students to embrace their unique qualities and talents by helping them understand that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and that it's okay for them to be themselves.

Foster a supportive environment: Create a supportive environment where your students feel safe, loved, and accepted by encouraging open communication, active listening, and empathy.

Encourage self-expression: Provide opportunities for your students to express themselves creatively through visual art, music, writing, or other outlets. Also encourage them to share their thoughts, ideas, and emotions.

6 - Discuss the Role of Media

Photo by Pinho. on Unsplash

In today's digital age, it's hard to ignore the influence that social media, television programs, movies, and songs have on our children.

These powerful mediums often portray drug use in a way that seems normal or even glamorous, which is often not the case.

This is why you need to educate your students about the stark contrast between the media's glamorization of smoking, drinking, and drug use and the harsh reality that is actually involved.

Emphasize the serious and often devastating consequences that can arise from engaging in these substances.

By highlighting real-life stories and experiences, you can help your students understand the emotional toll that substance use can take on individuals and their loved ones. Encourage them to consider the long-lasting impact that poor choices can have on their lives.

Also, remember to shed light on the legal ramifications associated with substance abuse. Drug-related offenses, theft, and even murder can be consequences of a path that begins with substance use.

By actively engaging in these discussions, you'll help your students develop a broader understanding of the media they consume.

Encourage them to think critically and make informed choices about the content they engage with.

Take this opportunity to share your own perspectives and experiences too, reinforcing the importance of making decisions based on personal values and well-being.

Remember, these conversations don't have to be heavy or lecture-like. Approach them with a friendly and open attitude, creating a safe space for students to share their thoughts and opinions.

Expert Tip: By fostering a non-judgmental environment, you create an atmosphere of trust and encourage ongoing conversations about the media influences students encounter in their daily lives.

Guide Your Students Away From Substance Abuse With Positive Action

Positive action is key when it comes to teaching substance abuse among elementary school children.

How your students perceive themselves won't just determine their academic achievements. It will also have an effect on the prevalence of substance abuse and their overall successes.

By helping them to recognize their worth and understand their importance, you'll be empowering them to make responsible choices and resist negative peer influences.

Positive Action's evidence-based curriculum Substance Abuse Prevention is an invaluable resource with actionable and practical tools that educators (and parents) can use to promote positive values, character development, and social-emotional skills.

By utilizing this well-designed curriculum, you can effectively nurture a positive mindset and guide your students away from substance abuse.

The program doesn't rely on scare tactics, short-term strategies, or approaches that only focus on information (which have all proven to be ineffective when teaching students about substance abuse prevention).

Instead, it teaches students a basic philosophy on the importance of taking positive action and the negative consequences that substance abuse has on their lives.

Your students can apply these teachings to all aspects of their lives, knowing well that a positive self-concept begins with taking positive action.

Check out Positive Action's other programs for your elementary school students to ensure an all-round learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Building Resilience: 6 Ways to Teach Kids Substance Abuse Prevention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover 6 strategies for teaching elementary school children about substance abuse prevention. Equip them with the knowledge to make smart decisions.

# data[].attributes.body
This entire website gives resources and support to teachers when helping grieving students on the AFSA site. This resource talks about students needing different supports in understanding loss and how it's a natural thing in life. It allows for the teachers to find age-appropriate ways to explain events like funerals and unexpected deaths. On the site there is a section dedicated to the impact on the student's education while grieving. The students need grief education and this site supplies a lot of resources and even some curriculum on the topic. Students need to be able to be properly taught this information because its natural and every student will deal with it eventually if they haven't already.

Home Page. (n.d.). Coalition to Support Grieving Students. https://grievingstudents.org/

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About Us

The Coalition to Support Grieving Students is a unique collaboration of the leading professional organizations representing classroom teachers (including teachers, paraprofessionals, and other instructional staff), principals, assistant principals, superintendents, school board members, and central office staff, student support personnel (including school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, and other student support personnel), and other school professionals who have come together with a common conviction: grieving students need the support and care of the school community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Home Page - Coalition to Support Grieving Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Coalition to Support Grieving Students is a unique collaboration of the leading professional organizations representing classroom teachers (including teachers, paraprofessionals, and other instructional staff), principals, assistant principals, superintendents, school board members, and central office staff, student support personnel (including school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, and other student support personnel), and other school professionals who have come together with a common conviction: grieving students need the support and care of the school community.

# data[].attributes.body
This article goes over the need for intervention with students in the rising mental health crisis posted by Standtogether.org. When reading the article, it covers the fact that students' doctors amended their program to start screening students 8 and up for anxiety. This is due to it becoming more common at a younger age, catching it early is relevant to students being taught coping skills for it. The article also states that due to the loss of childhood independence in recent year, it could be the cause of rising mental disorders in students. When reading the article, it gives key changes in society from the 1950's to now and explains how it may be impacting students. The website encourages parents to take a step back and allow for students to develop and gain independence in order to help their development. This source assists teachers and parents in K-4 because they are able to implement these practices early to help decrease the number of mental disorders. K-4 students are not helpless, this article goes over why we need to stop treating them as such.

Stand Together. (n.d.). Stand Together. https://standtogether.org/

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lenore Skenazy, co-founder of a nonprofit focused on childhood independence, believes there is an answer to the alarming rise in childhood mental health problems: Parents must let go to let them grow.

Skenazy has reason to be concerned.

Because of the rising numbers of mental health issues in children, last October the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force amended their screening recommendations for children ages 8 and older to include a screening for anxiety. According to the CDC, 9.4% of children and adolescents had an anxiety disorder in 2019. That's approximately 5.8 million young people.

Skenazy and Peter Gray, co-founders of Let Grow, have a more immediate solution to this concern than just additional screenings: play.

Gray, a psychology professor at Boston College, recently co-wrote an article in the Journal of Pediatrics theorizing that a loss of childhood independence is to blame for increasing mental disorders. Play and independence, they say, could be the antidote.

"Children who have more opportunities than others for independent activities are not only happier in the short run, because the activities engender happiness and a sense of trustworthiness and competence, but also happier in the long run," says Gray.

Let Grow is encouraging parents and schools to provide those opportunities for independence. Skenazy travels the country speaking at schools, encouraging teachers to assign independence projects as homework. Let Grow also works with policymakers to pass laws protecting parents from legal action for letting their children do normal, independent activities, like play at a park on their own. So far, about 5,000 schools nationwide have participated.

"The real problem is that we just don't let our kids do anything on their own," Skenazy says. "We treat them all as if they're so fragile that if anything goes wrong, it will be permanent and horrible."

When children are allowed some independence, she says, "balance is restored between fear and joy, and reality and terror. Their competence gives them confidence."

Childhood independence has been declining since the 1950s

Gray and his co-authors find that childhood independence has been declining since the 1950s, but more rapidly since the 1970s. Not only are parents less likely to allow their children to play unsupervised outside - because of fears of crime or traffic - but time in school and doing homework has also significantly increased.

According to a C.S. Mott Children's Hospital national poll, there is a gap between what parents say they believe and what they actually do. For example, 85% of parents of children ages 9 to 11 say their children benefit from unsupervised free time, but when asked about specific activities, fewer parents report their children do them independently:

Staying home for 30-60 minutes (58%)

Finding an item at the store while the parent is in another aisle (50%)

Staying in the car while the parent runs a quick errand (44%)

Walking/biking to a friend's house (33%)

Playing at the park with a friend (29%)

Trick-or-treating with friends (15%)

These numbers suggest that parents may be unintentionally limiting their children's independence.

Skenazy says hypervigilance is the norm today and that parents believe their children are fragile. Fear and anxiety are keeping them from letting their children out of sight, but it hasn't always been this way. In 1969, nearly 48% of children walked or biked to school on their own. In 2009, it wasn't quite 13%. Skenazy points to a 1979 parenting book in which the author tells parents their 6-year-old should be able to ride their bike alone around the neighborhood or to the store.

It's a relatively new belief, says Skenazy, "that our kids are endangered doing anything on their own, but in fact, there's actually danger in not letting them do anything on their own."

Let Grow says it's normal and legal to give kids independence

The basic concept of Let Grow is simple: Parents need to let go so their children can grow.

Skenazy learned just how difficult this can be in 2008 when she was dubbed the "worst mom in America" for letting her 9-year-old son ride the New York City subway alone. Her newspaper column about it caused a media frenzy. Many people said she should be investigated for child abuse.

"Our culture is telling parents, 'You can't trust your kids, they're going to be in danger, they are going to fall behind,'" says Skenazy. "We're treating children as fragile, and ironically, doing that is making them fragile."

Let Grow empowers children and teaches parents that letting go is a good thing.

The program equips parents and teachers with activities and discussion points aimed at cultivating independence and self-reliance in children. Teachers are encouraged to give their students a homework assignment: go home and do something new, on your own.

This assignment is called a Let Grow Project. Students choose the new activity themselves. It might include mowing the lawn, starting a club, cooking a new recipe, or babysitting a family member. Parents are more likely to support the idea when they find out it's a homework assignment.

"It's so outrageously simple," says Skenazy, "but it is hard to be the only parent doing this stuff, which is why we work through the schools. We really feel like it's collective action that's going to change a collective problem."

However, just as Skenazy learned, the culture of fear is so entrenched in our society that it's not enough to just convince parents and teachers. Let Grow also advocates with state policymakers for legal clarification that it is not against the law for parents to leave their kids alone.

Independence therapy helps anxious kids

Camilo Ortiz, a clinical psychologist and research professor at Long Island University, was so intrigued by the Let Grow Project, he designed a pilot project around it.

Ortiz and his research team developed a five-session treatment plan focused primarily on educating parents and their anxious kids about independence. His test subjects were children in his clinical practice that he was already treating for anxiety and their parents.

Conventional anxiety treatments often involve exposure therapy in which the therapist helps the patient face their fears head-on. For this trial, Ortiz substituted exposure activities with "independence activities" (IAs) like riding a bus on their own or sleeping in their own bed at night. The results were good.

IA's work, says Ortiz, "because they exercise many of the psychological muscles needed to better tackle anxiety. IAs increase resilience, tolerance of discomfort and uncertainty, social skills, and smart risk-taking."

Skenazy has seen the same. One of her students decided to make his own sandwiches as his independence project. "Now I don't need help if I get hungry," he told her. Another student wanted to ride the elevator in his apartment building by himself. He told Skenazy, "I learned that even if I'm by myself, it will be OK."

"It's exactly the kind of breakthrough psychologists and psychiatrists are always looking for," Skenazy says. "Just as anxiety becomes generalized and everything becomes too dangerous and too scary and too much for you to think about doing on your own, competence and confidence also generalize. Children's competence gives them confidence, and then the parents get it too, and they're spiraling up instead of spiraling down."
is supported by, which provides funding and strategic capabilities to innovators, scholars, and social entrepreneurs to develop new and better ways to tackle America's biggest problems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Solution To The Student Mental Health Crisis: Independence

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A loss of childhood independence could be to blame for increasing mental health problems. Children who have more opportunities for independent activities are happier in the long run.

# data[].attributes.body
This website has an entire lesson available for Pre-K students on germs and how they can affect personal health and wellness from Lysol. This source writes out different activities and the type of standards that pre-k students will learn about and be able to keep up with. This health lesson could always be adapted for older age groups as well. The article also includes a handwashing poster that helps students understand the importance of how germs spread. Starting out with the students when they are young helps germs stop spreading while they are young. In this article they specifically have a germ detectives' section as an activity and the students are able to go around the class and identify places where germs may be more popular and how they can get rid of them. Overall, this source is appropriate for K-4 students because in the younger grades, sickness goes around really fast because they are not knowledgeable about germs. The teachers will benefit from students knowing this content and can get students involved in light classroom cleaning to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Pre-K Lesson Plan: Germ Detectives. (n.d.). Www.lysol.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://www.lysol.com/clean-and-protect/protect-against-germs/prevent-germs-from-spreading/teach-kids-about-germs-lesson-plan#:~:text=STUDENTS%20WILL%3A%201%20Understand%20that%20germs%20live%20on

‌

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teach kids about germs and how to find them. Use this lesson plan for kids to prevent germs from spreading and show kids how to stay healthy.