For Educators to Support Children and Teens
Schools are where children and teens make friends, practice social skills, and build confidence—all important factors in mental health, drug, and alcohol issues. Learn about how schools can prevent these issues and support students already experiencing them.
Schools can:
- Improve student outcomes through mental health support
- Create a safe, supportive environment
- Increase connectedness between students and their peers and adults
- Make sure teachers are on the lookout for cyberbullying
If your school has experienced violence or a disaster, learn how to recognize the signs of traumatic stress in children and teens and how to help.
Find more resources on how schools can take action.
Activities and Lessons for Teachers
Having a safe classroom is important for helping students to learn and grow. Here are some tips for a supportive classroom:
- Ask your students how they are feeling
- Teach journal writing
- Let students take breaks
- Help students identify their emotions
- Teach healthy coping skills
There are also resources to help educate tweens and teens (grades 6 through 12) on mental health, drug, and alcohol issues.
Factsheets:
Tips for teens fact sheets covering alcohol and drug use topics including e-cigarettes, steroids, stimulants, and opioids.
Lesson Plans:
- Physical and emotional effects of screen time
- Cannabis and healthy choices
- Opioids and their use
- Mental and emotional health
- Vaping and nicotine
- A free coloring and activity book about to coping with stress and anxiety
Search for other lesson plans including ones on stimulant, tobacco, methamphetamine, and other drugs.
Resources for teachers and school staff
- A training toolkit on teenage dating abuse
- Teacher training on preventing peer-to-peer sexual harassment and violence
- A manual on preventing youth violence (PDF | 7.3 MB)
- Get interactive activities from NIAAA for Middle School to reinforce key messages about peer pressure, resistance skills, and other important topics related to underage drinking.
- Get facts about teen drinking.
Share resources with your community
SAMHSA’s national youth substance use prevention campaign, Talk. They Hear You helps parents and caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking and drug use.
Your school can also help promote 988, a free 24/7 helpline for staffed with trained counselors.