Optional add-on · Health · 30 min · Fits Week 23

Healthy Choices: Tobacco, Vaping and Alcohol Are Not for Kids

Objective: Your child will explain, in simple words, that tobacco, vapes and alcohol are not for children because they can harm growing bodies, and practice saying no and telling a trusted adult.

Materials: paper, crayons, index cards, pencil

Helps with topics listed by: New York

1. Warm-Up: Growing Bodies (5 min)

   Ask your child to name things that help their body grow strong: food, water, sleep, exercise. Say: 'Your body and your brain are still growing, and they will keep growing for many years. So some things that are for grown-ups are not safe for kids at all.'

2. Mini-Lesson: Not for Kids (10 min)

   Keep it calm and factual. Name the three things and one simple fact about each. 'Cigarettes have tobacco. The smoke hurts the lungs, and breathing smoke that other people make hurts too.' 'Vapes, also called e-cigarettes, usually have nicotine. Nicotine can harm a growing brain, and it makes it very hard to stop using it once you start.' 'Alcohol is in drinks like beer and wine. It changes how the brain works, so it is hard to think clearly and move safely, and it can harm a growing body.' Then add: 'The law says you must be 21 to buy these.' If your child mentions a family member who smokes, vapes or drinks, say: 'Grown-ups make their own choices. That does not make them bad people. These are just not for kids.' Keep the focus on your child's own choices.

3. Practice: Say No, Tell a Grown-Up (10 min)

   Teach a simple plan: 'Say no. Walk away. Tell a trusted adult.' Write three short scenes on index cards and role-play each, with you as the other person: an older kid offers a vape at the park; your child finds a cigarette pack or a vape on the sidewalk; a cousin says a drink with alcohol 'tastes like juice.' Your child practices a firm 'No, thanks' in a strong voice, walks a few steps away, then comes to you. For found items, the rule is don't touch it, tell a grown-up, because vape liquid and cigarettes can make a child sick. Praise a clear, strong voice.

4. Wrap-Up (5 min)

   Your child names two trusted adults they can tell, and draws one healthy choice they make every day (such as drinking water, sleeping, playing outside). Ask: 'What are the three steps if someone offers you something that is not for kids?'