Celebrate Brain Awareness Week!

Next week is Brain Awareness Week, a perfect opportunity to help kids understand how their developing brain works and why protecting it matters. Founded by the Dana Foundation, Brain Awareness Week highlights the importance of brain science and neuroscience education. Since Ask, Listen, Learn offers science- and evidence-based videos, lesson plans, and classroom activities, here are three ways to use our materials to help kids learn what the developing brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what that means for them. 

Teach Neuroscience in an Age-Appropriate Way 

Kids are more likely to say “NO” to underage drinking when they understand how their brain works and how alcohol interferes with that process. Ask, Listen, Learn animated videos and corresponding lesson plans introduce key parts of the developing brain and how they function in ways that are engaging and accessible for 9-13 year olds. The visuals, vocabulary, and storytelling make complex neuroscience easy for kids to grasp.  

Interactive Kahoots! for each lesson reinforce learning and spark discussion. We even have a brand new Kahoot! in honor of Brain Awareness Week! These are great to use in your classroom, after-school program, or playing at home as a family. 

Use Facts to Start Conversations about Brain Awareness 

Facts help kids connect what they are learning to real life choices. Our videos include facts about the brain and clear explanations about how alcohol affects different parts of the developing brain. Here are three quick facts that help kickstart meaningful conversations:  

• The cerebellum is only 10% of your brain’s weight but contains 50% of its neurons that are responsible for receiving and processing information. Alcohol slows down the cerebellum, affecting coordination and voluntary and learned motor controls like walking and talking.   

• The cerebral cortex is located in your brain’s frontal lobe and is responsible for controlling emotions. When impaired by alcohol, it can cause confusion, making it harder to think clearly, make smart choices and retain memories.  

• The medulla is the most important part of the developing brain because it controls vital, life sustaining functions. Alcohol can slow down or stop these functions from working, causing you to stop breathing, swallowing, or your heart from pumping blood to other parts of the body.   

Share these facts at home or in the classroom to help kids understand why avoiding alcohol is important and can help start conversations about underage drinking. Then take time to discuss why and how to say “NO” to underage drinking and the importance of making healthy choices. 

Recognize Mental Health is Brain Health 

Responsibility.org’s 2025 Parents and Kids Survey found that more than three out of four parents were concerned about both their kids’ stress and anxiety and mental health.  

Ask, Listen, Learn’s The Impact of Alcohol and Marijuana on Kids’ Mental Health video and lesson plan build on the programs core content to show how underage drinking and underage cannabis use affect the brain, emotional well-being, and mental health. These materials also highlight how to develop coping strategies to help manage stress and anxiety and to help kids continue saying “YES” to a healthy lifestyle. 

Our Parents’ Guide offers additional resources to aid you in supporting the mental health of the young people in your life. Resources include strategies to help you:  

• Talk openly about mental health, 

• Model positive mental health behavior, 

• Recognize signs of a mental health struggle, and 

• Know what to do in a mental health crisis. 

We appreciate everything you do to keep kids’ brains healthy and substance-free during Brain Awareness Week and through the year.