Drug Awareness Activities for Kids

Drug awareness activities aim to teach kids to stay away from drugs, tobacco and alcohol. These activities typically maintain a positive tone while focusing on the realities of drug abuse and strategies to resist involvement in the activity. Starting drug prevention at an early age ingrains the message into the minds of the participants. Continued drug awareness education reinforces the early lessons.

Discussion about the dangers of drugs becomes more effective when the kids get a chance to apply the suggestions in a controlled environment. Create several scenarios that relate to drugs that children may encounter. Provide a brief setup for the situation. Select student volunteers to play the various roles in the scene. Allow them to act out the situation, encouraging them to employ the strategies that you have taught in class. Hold a discussion with the class after each scenario. Ask them if they would have handled it the same way or if they have different suggestions. Remind the students to avoid criticism of the participants to maintain a positive and educational atmosphere.

Promote the kids to teachers for the day by asking them to create short presentations on drug-related topics. Brainstorm with the kids to create a list of topics for the presentations. Ideas include how to say no, dangers of drugs, statistics on drug use, negative effects of smoking and handling peer pressure. Divide the kids into small groups, allowing each group to select a topic for its presentation. Provide a checklist of things that should be included in the presentation, such as an introduction, a conclusion and a visual aid. Other specifications could include having every child present a portion of the information or providing a class-participation activity. Adjust the list to fit the ability level of the students in the classroom. Have the groups present their information to the class. Another option is to share the presentations with other classrooms in the school.

Compose a pledge for the students that revolves around avoiding drugs of any kind. Ideas include pledging to never try drugs, to avoid peer pressure or to leave a situation where drugs are involved. Tailor the message to the age group of the kids. Write the pledge on a large poster or on the chalkboard. Make individual copies for each child. As a group, recite the pledge. Have the kids sign and date the individual copy of the pledge as a reminder.