Everything and everyone around a child influences their behaviors in early childhood and well beyond. It is a fact that children’s relationship with their peers has a major role in influencing their social, emotional, and psychological development. Indeed, peer influence is remarkably powerful and impactful in their developmental stages, especially through the early childhood and teenage years. Experiences gained during these years of life have strong implications on the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral skills of the little ones. Peer relationships exert enormous influence on kids, shaping their lives, both positively and negatively. This means that everything from fostering positive feelings and competence abilities to bullying and rejection can impact their development. Hence, providing exposure to social and peer pressures can help kids attain complex thinking and behavioral skills and teach them to be resilient and confident in future years.
Positive peer influence can help children develop new abilities, stimulate their interest in extracurricular activities like sports, exercise or music, and instill a competitive spirit in them. It lays positive effects on kids, strengthening their character, and bolstering their abilities to make decisions. However, peer pressure can also influence children in a negative way, where they may behave in wrong ways, and even learn inappropriate behaviors from their peers. Most of the times, teens are largely influenced to indulge in antisocial activities and substance abuse as a result of negative peer pressure.
It is Vital to Help Kids Cope with Peer Pressure
Generally, children want themselves to fit in and not be left out from the friend’s gang, as a result of which, they are influenced easily and get pressured to try risky, undesirable things. We believe that as their parents and mentors, it is important for us to protect the kids from such negative influences and help them learn how to resist peer influences and rather exert a positive influence of their own. When children are influenced too much by the peers, parents need to step in and exert their positive influence to bring a balance and ensure that you can shape your child’s values and long-term choices in a positive way. It is here that it becomes crucial to teach children that coping with peer pressure is all about getting the right balance between being yourself and fitting in with the peer groups. It is necessary for the children to learn to manage peer pressure and limit their indulgence with undesirable relationships, nevertheless, maintain their social competence.
Have Open Conversations
As parents, it is necessary to have honest and open talks with kids so that they would feel free to reach out to you whenever they feel pressurized or influenced to do dangerous things. You need to teach them to recognize the type of peer influences and resist any negative peer pressure. For this, they need to first understand their own values and feel confident of their actions. As parents, you need to exert a unique position of influence in your child’s life in order to mold them in a positive way.
Build Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
When children feel good about themselves, they are less likely to be influenced by their peers. Help your child learn the difference between social-adjustment and being a people-pleaser so that they will give less way for any negative influence in their lives. Teach them to be confident of themselves and assertive in their actions so that they will build up strong self-esteem in themselves.
We, at K.R. Mangalam World School, understand that each child is unique in his/her perceptions, and needs to be tackled in a uniquely. However, one thing that implies to all kids is that they need to be protected from the negativity around them, and this task can be best handled by the parents and mentors as they are the ones who understand the kids in the best way. At KRMS, we have strived to create a positive environment where each child is nurtured academically, emotionally, as well as psychologically. Our teachers are very knowledgeable in this regard and leave no stones unturned when it comes to preparing the kids to positively cope with any negative pressures on them. We believe in cultivating creativity and wisdom in kids so that they are empowered to embrace life as it comes to them. Our value-based education methodology focuses on instilling in kids not just intellectual ability but also emotional and psychological stability to face the challenges of life. At KRMS, ranked among the Top Ten Schools in Delhi NCR, listed amongst the best ib schools in delhi we empower our students to become productive and efficient individuals, well-trained and prepared to achieve excellence in all aspects of academic, social, and personal development, ultimately evolving into resilient citizens of tomorrow.