This is our fourteenth year of homeschooling. My older two are all graduated and grown, but I still have two teens at home.
Part of the awesomeness of homeschooling is getting to have all those important conversations with your children. It’s a chance to go deep and share your values and morals at a time when you still have influence with them.
The downside is, you have to have all those important conversations with them. It’s on you, mom and dad. No getting out of it. Where will you even start?
Disclosure: I’ve been hired to write this for Ask Listen Learn, a group dedicated to helping parents, teachers, and kids get useful and inspiring information on why it’s best for young people not to drink while they are underage.
Ultimately, your children will make their own choices, but you can help shape those choices with lots of communication, information, and answers to their questions.
Here are some of my favorite resources from Ask Listen Learn for parent educators. They are also perfect for school teachers as well! All the lesson plans and resources are here on the ALL website, and they are all free, and easy to download.
The Impact of Peer Pressure
For a very long time, your opinion is the only one your children care about. Sooner than you think, their friends replace you as the center of the universe. Totally normal and healthy, but prepare your tweens to withstand the pressures from other kids who might not have their best interests at heart.
This is an excellent lesson plan on peer pressure developed by two experienced classroom teachers that you can easily implement in your homeschool curriculum. The plan contains goals and objectives, lets you know what the national standards are, and gives you a slate of other resources–from websites to a comprehensive reading list–to help make an impact on your kids who learn through reading.
I suggest using the books listed as a read-aloud for younger students or a read-along with your bigger kids.
The Importance of a Healthy Body
Underage drinking has a physical impact on the body and its organs. Educate your homeschooled students on how alcohol impacts health.
This lesson plan on the importance of a healthy body can be easily incorporated into your existing health or science curriculum. Skim the surface for lower grades, or dig deep for your older kids.
My favorite part is guidance provided to help students create a multimedia presentation. Great for kids who learn through talking and creating.
Conversations about Alcohol at Different Ages
If you don’t even know where to start a conversation about underage drinking, this free, downloadable resource is a must-have. Use the matrix to walk you through conversation starters appropriate for every age from early elementary to college. Yes, even when they graduate you are not done yet.
I loved the age-appropriate topic suggestions and an easy-to-follow list of suggestions that help you and the people you love most have deep, productive talks about why it’s best to wait to drink.
More Resources
Want more? Go to AskListenLearn.org for more helpful information and inspiration for talking with your children about underage drinking.
