Empowering Kids to Make Smart Choices During Alcohol Responsibility Month
March 30, 2026
Since April is Alcohol Responsibility Month, it’s a great time to pause and talk with kids about what it means to make smart and responsible choices while helping to build the decision-making skills they need to say “YES” to healthy choices and “NO” to underage drinking. While not every choice they face will involve alcohol, learning to make responsible choices now prepares them for the tougher situations they may encounter later, including those involving underage drinking.
Parents and educators play a powerful role in helping kids develop these skills. Kids watch how adults handle stress, how they talk about responsibility, and how they navigate difficult situations. When adults model responsible behavior, keep communication open, and create safe spaces for honest conversations, kids gain the confidence they need when faced with difficult situations and tricky decisions.
To make these conversations easier, and more effective, Ask, Listen, Learn offers a collection of age-appropriate resources designed for both classrooms and families. These tools help kids understand how the brain works, why responsible choices matter, and how to build the skills they need to make them.
Classroom Resources to Help Students Build Confidence and Make Responsible Choices:
This series of videos and digital activities developed in partnership with Discovery Education explore topics like peer pressure, decision making, and goals setting to help kids have the confidence to say “NO” to underage drinking and underage cannabis use.
Coming on April 14: Two new virtual lab simulations, developed in partnership with Discovery Education, guide students through how alcohol impacts the developing brain and what influences kids to say “NO” to underage drinking. Educator guides and the ready-to-use digital activities make classroom integration seamless.
This set of resources connects the dots between how alcohol and marijuana impact mental health. Through animated video and hands-on activities, students learn about developing healthy coping strategies and making good decisions when it comes to supporting their own mental health and well-being.
This videos and classroom activities series helps students understand how their developing brain works, what alcohol and marijuana do to it, and what that does to them.
The Ask, Listen, Learn Kahoot page offers fun, interactive, digital quizzes that reinforce what students are learning about alcohol, the brain, and peer pressure. It’s a great way to check their understanding and keep them engaged.
A collection of articles and videos help families start (and continue) meaningful conversations about mental health. These resources offer guidance on how to talk about mental health, model positive behaviors, and promote good choices relating to mental health.
For adults who choose to drink, modeling responsible behavior matters. This article provides practical tips for talking about alcohol, how to model alcohol responsibility, handling stress in healthy ways, and demonstrating what it looks like to say “NO.”
Thank you for all that you do to keep kids healthy and safe. We are excited about the conversations you’ll start in the classroom and at home this month and beyond!
