Children often seek a sense of belonging at school and will engage in certain behaviors to fit in among their peers (someone in their age group). Even in preschool they are becoming concerned with what their friends think and do.  Children want to be well liked and included in a group, which makes them susceptible to peer pressure (influence that members of the same age group can have over each other). Peer pressure has been shown to affect children as early as preschool age and becomes an even greater risk as they transition into middle and high school.

1. Fitango Education
Health Topics
Peer pressure
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2. Overview
Children often seek a sense of belonging at school
and will engage in certain behaviors to fit in among
their peers (someone in their age group). Even in
preschool they are becoming concerned with what
their friends think and do.
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3. Overview
Children want to be well liked and included in a
group, which makes them susceptible to peer
pressure (influence that members of the same age
group can have over each other). Peer pressure
has been shown to affect children as early as
preschool age and becomes an even greater risk as
they transition into middle and high school.
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4. Positive and negative
Peer pressure can impact children both positively
and negatively - positive peer pressure may
influence a child to engage in healthy behaviors
while negative peer pressure can eventually lead
to risky behaviors such as substance use. Every
child is susceptible to various forms of peer
pressure. Research indicates that parents and
caregivers that engage in an authoritative
parenting style - a child-centered approach often
referred to as balanced parenting where
monitoring and support are above av
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5. Positive and negative
Peer relationships (relationships with children their
own age) are important in a child’s life as they form
the basis of friendships and, help develop certain
social skills, such as cooperation, negotiation and
conflict resolution. The importance of choosing
and forming these relationships is vital even during
the preschool years as peers have been shown to
have strong influences on risky behaviors later on
in life.
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6. Ways of exerting pressure
Peer pressure in young children usually revolves
around what toys to play with or what games to
play. Children also exert pressure through
teasing, name-calling, withholding friendship, and
by threatening exclusion from play. They may also
dare each other to leap from high places or
squeeze into tight spaces, inviting bodily harm.
Later on, as your child transitions into middle
school, that pressure becomes more intense as
kids try to conform or “be cool” in order to be
included in the group
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7. Preparing your child
Start building the foundation to help children deal
with those who might try to pressure them into
doing something risky. Once children approach
adolescence, they will encounter greater negative
peer pressure to engage in very risky behaviors,
such as smoking, drinking, and sexual activity and
will need the confidence to stand up for
themselves.
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8. Preparing your child
-- Say “NO.” You set limits for your child; you
should practice parental monitoring by saying “no”
to something that is against your rules or could
impact them negatively. They, too, can learn to say
“no,” sometimes over and over again to resist peer
pressure.
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9. Preparing your child
-- Then, teach them how they could use some of
these tactics to say “no” to their peers who may
try to influence them to do something that is
against the rules. They could: change the subject;
suggest another activity; say, “I can’t, I’m not
allowed”; ignore the other child; or, just walk
away—all of these are useful refusal skills.
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10. Preparing your child
-- Choose good friends. Know who your child’s
friends are and remind him/her that a good friend
would not try to force him/her to do something
he/she should not do.
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11. Preparing your child
-- Make good decisions. It is not too early to help
children think carefully about the outcome and
consequences of an act before they do it. Think
aloud and let your child listen to your decision-
making processes, as you weigh options and
potential outcomes.
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12. Preparing your child
-- Value themselves. Praise your children for
something they do well, encourage them in
positive, healthy pursuits, and surround them with
people who value them. These actions increase
their self-confidence and make it difficult for
someone else’s opinion of them to be more
important than their own.
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