Education plays an important role when preventing drug use among young people. There are countless educational resources for educators, including lesson plans, activities, videos, etc., from various websites.
There are also numerous approaches to take, yet we hope the general information below can act as a starting point when developing a lesson plan.
Things to Consider
When developing an internal drug education and prevention lesson plan, the first step is to know the targeted age group, whether children or teens. The information you present to children differs from what is given to teens.
K-3rd
Children are beginning to develop self-awareness, learn how to seek help, gain information, ask questions, and understand the trustworthiness of people they encounter.
4th-6th
Students will likely respond well to facts and begin to develop interpersonal communication skills.
7th-8th
Learning is reinforced in grades 7 to 8, and students begin to assess the credibility of information, people, etc.
9th-12th
In grades 9 to 12, each student’s competencies are further strengthened, focusing on short-term and long-term goals.
Focus on Education, Which Is the Key to Addiction Prevention
Parents and teachers are responsible for providing education surrounding drugs and alcohol. In addition, children and teens will likely receive educational material from media, community groups, and law enforcement agencies. The educational material should focus on empowering the child or teen to avoid peer pressure, use communication skills, understand healthy choices, and utilize sound decision-making capabilities.
It should provide general educational resources, such as drugs and your body and drug facts.
It should include information about health, addiction, and associated behaviors.
The lessons should speak about external influences, such as resisting peer pressure.
It should also help young people understand how to make healthy choices and avoid risk.
Three Topics to Develop a Lesson Plan From
- Understanding health, addiction, and behaviors.
It is vital to have an understanding of health. In addition, understanding addiction and the consequences of addiction and associated behaviors with how it is connected to personal health is very important. For example, how different drugs affect the body and brain.
- Understanding external influences and resisting peer pressure.
Lessons should emphasize external choices that lead to drug and alcohol use and the resulting outcomes—for example, peers and social media.
- Making healthy choices in life and avoiding risky situations.
Students should learn to develop ways to identify and choose healthy paths and alternatives, avoid risks, and cope with negative emotions—for example, teens learning how to cope with stress and hormonal changes.
Know the target audience and focus on education, which can be learned, retained, and applied to the real world. Drug education and prevention information are no good to a student if they cannot recall it and use it in their life to help them succeed, avoid bad situations, make healthy choices, and help others along the way.
