Most kids, regardless of age, are impacted by peer pressure. Even while there are some constructive forms of peer pressure, such as friends being positive influences and encouraging one another to perform better in school, most peer pressure is unfavorable. Negative peer pressure can take many various forms, such as mocking others for their peculiarities or rejecting those who are different from you.
Negative peer pressure, in any form, can be exceedingly harmful. The secret to ending negative peer pressure is to develop new ways for pupils to comprehend the effects of giving in.
1. Guess Which Cup
This practice teaches youngsters how hard it is to focus while everyone else is instructing them what to do. Ask a participant to choose one of five cups that is hiding a reward from the group of five cups. Before letting the volunteer start, give the other children some chance to express their suggestions.
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2. Identify Peer Pressure
Divide the class into three performing groups and one watching group. Each group has to prepare outside of class, so they know their duties and what to do. All three groups then perform their brief skits. After all three performances, the group must decide which was peer pressure.
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3. The Best Answer
This is a parody of a card game using scenario cards showing peer pressure, such as "Have a drink! " or "Cheating on the math test is alright since they make it too tough." and response cards for each scenario in which the kids choose after reading a scenario. Giving kids practical methods to reject peer pressure is the lesson taught here.
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4. Guess the Ending
For this lesson on peer pressure, give the group various brief peer influence examples, focusing on practical ones that show good and bad effects. Then, have them speculate on the story's conclusion. Learners will better understand peer pressure's effects and the mentality needed to deal with it.
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5. We Can
Divide everyone into equal groups for this game of peer pressure. Each team is assigned a minor issue and tasked with coming up with a suitable solution. This game emphasizes leadership and teamwork.
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6. Tell the Truth
Individuals are required to sit in a circle for this game. Each person has the opportunity to ask a question of the person seated next to them. It is against the rules for anyone to skip a question. A genuine response is required.
A person can talk about their anxieties, strengths, and limitations while playing this game, which encourages communication.
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7. Choose Right Away
An anchor is chosen for this exercise, and he presents two options. Each youngster must select one of them right away. In this manner, they can develop the capacity for fast decision-making. The questions may grow more challenging as time goes on!
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8. Let's Sleep Like Lions
Every youngster must lie flat and shut their eyes to play. The last person to open their eyes wins the game! To get the kids to open their eyes, there has to be an anchor who would continuously talk and alert them.
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9. Saying "No"
The players learn to say "No" to specific things through this game. People frequently find it difficult to reject an offer. Present kids with scenarios such as: " I have a strategy! Tomorrow we can skip class and see a movie instead. Will you accompany me?"
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10. Silent Signals
Start by sending two kids on a short mission outside the room. While out, have each pupil write "APPLE" in giant letters on their desk. Upon their return, what will the kids do? Will they write "APPLE" like everybody else?
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11. First, think
Friends influence friends, whether toddlers playing in a sandbox or grandmothers sipping tea. In this activity, let the kids practice different ways to say no when people try to get them to do something they know is wrong.
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12. Team Fans
This activity teaches rejection as a form of spoken pressure. Have the kids role-play a scenario whereby another kid's invitation to a party over the weekend is revoked for not supporting the same team as his colleagues.
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13. Substitute Teacher
This activity teaches putting people down as a form of peer pressure. Present a scenario where one student enters the class greets the substitute teacher, and sits down, unlike the other students who cause chaos and make fun of the sub. The others end up making fun of the good student as well.
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14. The Math Test
This exercise helps with reasoning. The teacher announces that there will be a math test as one child enters the room. He is told by friends not to worry since they have him covered with the "cheat sheet." The first child hesitates and displays worry about lying and being discovered. Friends explain to him why they think it's okay.
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15. The Party
Kids are gathered in a crowd around one student presenting a brand-new music video on a portable media player in this role-playing exercise that highlights unsaid pressure. The video is entertaining them. Another child enters. A handful of the others turn and give her a fleeting glance. They ignore her and return to the video without saying anything.
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16. The Dance
In this role-playing activity highlighting unspoken pressure, youngsters in fashionable clothes have fun and laugh. A second child comes in and stands apart to observe the others. He attracts the attention of one or two popular kids, who then give them "the look," which involves a disapproving glance up and down, an eye roll, or a subtle head shake.
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17. The MP3 Player
This role-playing exercise emphasizes social pressure. One child's mother sends her off to the mall so she may get new running shoes and other team supplies. As she walks to the sports shop, she passes by a group of girls listening to music on their MP3 players. She buys an MP3 player at the electronics store rather than shoes.
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18. The Smartphones
You'll need two groups to commit to the roles for this role-play. Kids in the first group have the most recent smartphones. The other kids can express their thoughts about the students and their excellent phones.
Then perform the same role-play but swap out the phones for smokes or booze (fake, of course) to demonstrate to students that the desire to fit in with that crowd is still present but may have unfavorable effects.
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19. The prize
Before class begins, place sticky notes beneath half the seats for this role-play. Allow the pupils to select their seats when they arrive. Once all the children are situated, inform them those with a sticky note will earn a gift after class. See how winning the award affects the children's conduct in both groups.
Explain that everyone receives a gift once the role-play is complete and discuss peer pressure and rejection and the logic behind your setup.
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20. Insult Peer Pressure
Insult peer pressure is when you make someone feel bad about not doing something, so they will eventually do it. To illustrate the realities of this kind of peer pressure, create role-playing scenarios.
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