Family Day

Parent Toolkit Conversation Starters,

Facts, Family Fun Ideas and more!

Copyright 2012 The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

Table of Contents

Countdown to … Being an Engaged Parent

10 Fun Things to do as a Family………………………..1

9 Facets of Parental Engagement……………………..2

8 Ways to Connect with Your Kids…………………….3

7 Ways to Show Your Kids You Care………………….4

6 Things to Remember When Talking to Your Kids

About Drugs…………………………………………………….5

5 Facts About Substance Abuse……………………….6

4 Ways to Connect to Family Day Online………….7

3 Facts About The Importance of Family

Dinners……………………………………………………………8

2 Sets of Conversation Starters………………………..9

1 Family Day STAR Pledge……………………………….10

10 Fun Things To Do As A Family

1. Go to a museum and play a quick game of eye spy in one of the exhibits.

2. Go hiking and reward yourself with a nice picnic lunch when you get to the top.

3. Make dinner together while pretending that you’re on a cooking show (try to

use one of the recipes in the Family Day Recipe Book!)

4. Go to the zoo and make sure to take pictures near the most exotic looking

animals.

5. Go bowling. Winner gets to pick the dinner spot afterwards!

6. Look through old family photographs.

7. Have a “mystery trip” day. Pick a fun destination within a few hours’ drive, but don’t tell the kids! Feel free to give them hints along the way!

8. Go to a pottery painting shop or ceramics café and get the creativity flowing!

9. Find a drive-in movie theater and make the trip, it will be a totally new

experience with kids and for kids!

10. Write a story with your kids. You start with the first sentence, then take turns.

Get started with our Family Fairy Tales (part of our Family Activity Kit at

www.CASAFamilyDay.org).

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9 Facets Of Parental Engagement

1. Be there: Get involved in your children’s lives and activities.

2. Open the lines of communication and keep them wide open.

3. Set a good example: Actions are more persuasive than words.

4. Set rules and expect your children to follow them.

5. Monitor your children’s whereabouts.

6. Maintain family rituals such as eating dinner together.

7. Incorporate religious and spiritual practices into family life.

8. Get Dad engaged—and keep him engaged.

9. Engage the larger family of your children’s friends, teachers, classmates, neighbors, and community.

From How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents

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8 Ways To Connect With Your Kids

1. Really listen to your kids when they are talking to you even if it means taking a

break from the dishes or missing part of your favorite TV program.

2. Get to know their schedules, friends, and teachers so you can ask, “Did you and Sam sit together at lunch today?” or “What song did Mr. Smith teach in music class today?” instead of simply asking, “What did you do today?”

3. Instead of saying, “You’re doing it wrong,” when your child makes a mistake, try saying, “Why don’t you try it this way.”

4. Teach your children to play jacks, use a yo-yo, knit, or do something you loved as

a child. Or let your child choose something new you can learn together.

5. Clip magazine pictures or articles that interest them.

6. Get out the photo albums and their baby books and tell your children stories

about their beginnings.

7. At the end of each week, take turns sharing your week’s accomplishments around the dinner table.

8. Create a secret word, sign, or gesture of affection that only you and your child

share.

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7 Ways To Show Your Kids You Care

1. Remind your children of something they’ve taught you.

2. Slip little love notes, jokes, poems, and words of encouragement into your

children’s lunchboxes, backpacks, or next to their beds (if you leave before they wake up), just to let them know you’re thinking about them all day long. For kids a little older, try sending them cute notes via text messages.

3. Let your children hear you complimenting them to someone else.

4. Tell them how wonderful it is being their parent and how much you like the way

they’re growing up.

5. Cut your kids’ sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutter hearts and stars.

6. Tell them their feelings are okay and acknowledge what they are feeling.

7. Hug them, kiss them, and say “I love you” every day, no matter what. Kids thrive on it and it’s a daily fix we all need no matter what our age!

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6 Things To Remember When Talking To Your Kids About Drugs

1. Understand that addiction is a disease of the brain that in almost all cases starts

when your kids smoke, drink or use other drugs in adolescence when the brain is

still developing.

2. Start talking with your kids at an early age and take time to explain things to your

child in basic terms that are easily understandable. Make your child comfortable

talking to you about “difficult” topics such as tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

3. Listen carefully to your child. Educate yourself so you can answer his or her

questions. As children get older, their questions get more difficult, so you need to

be prepared.

4. Peer pressure may play a pivotal role in a child’s decision to use drugs. However, encourage your child to be their own person and make their own decisions.

5. Explain that these substances may dull a painful part of their lives for a brief

period, but it will never change or help the underlying situation.

6. Write a family “contract” established to make your opinions on all types of drug use clear. Be consistent with family rules.

Adapted from "Just Say Know: Talking With Your Kids About Drugs And Alcohol" - Cynthia Kuhn

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5 Facts About Substance Use

1. A child who reaches age 21 without smoking, using illegal drugs or abusing

alcohol is virtually certain never to do so.

2. Children and teens who begin using any addictive substance before age 15 are six

and a half times likelier to be addicted than those who wait until age 21 or older.

3. More than five million high school students, almost a third, admit binge drinking

at least once a month.

4. Each day more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink.

5. More than forty percent of America’s teens – some 10 million – can buy marijuana

within a day and 20 percent—some 5 million—can get it in an hour or less.

For sources and more facts visit our Tools You Can Use page at www.CASAFamilyDay.org

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4 Ways To Connect To Family Day Online

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Family Day Website

www.CASAFamilyDay.org

Family Day Blog

www.CASAFamilyDay.org/blog

Family Day Twitter Page

www.twitter.com/#!/CASAFamilyDay

Family Day Facebook Page

www.facebook.com/CASAFamilyDay

3 Facts About Adolescents And Addiction

Adolescence is the critical time when kids are at risk of experimenting with drugs,

alcohol and tobacco. In fact:

1. Nine out of 10 Americans who meet the medical criteria for addiction started

smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before age 18.

2. Addiction is a disease that in most cases begins in adolescence.

3. Preventing or delaying teens from using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs for as

long as possible is crucial to their health and safety.

Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University’s report: Adolescent Substance Use: America’s #1 Public Health Problem.

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2 Sets of Conversation

Starters

For Elementary School Aged Kids

What did you do during recess today?

What is your favorite thing to do during

recess?

What did you like most about school

today?

Are you afraid of anything? If so, why?

If you could travel to any planet, which

would it be?

What is the best toy that you have?

When you feel sad, what cheers you up?

What would you do if you saw someone

being mean at school?

If you could build your own house, what

would it look like?

How were you nice to someone today?

Who’s your favorite teacher, and why?

What do you think will be possible in the

future 10 years from now? What about

50 years from now?

Would you rather be able to fly or be

invisible?

For Middle-High School Aged Kids

What would be the ideal allowance, and

how would you spend it?

What qualities make a good parent?

What is the most fun thing our family

has done this year?

What are two family traditions you think

we should start?

If you could be anyone that you’ve read about in history, who would you be?

Which extracurricular activity is your

favorite, and why?

What are some of your pet peeves?

If you could be any character from a

book, who would you be?

Who is your favorite teacher, and why?

What is the coolest dream you have ever

had?

What do you think is the biggest

problem in the world? How would you

solve it?

What can our family do to make the

world a better place?

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1 Family Day STAR Pledge

I pledge to:

S- Spend time with my kids

T- Talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol

A- Answer their questions and listens to what they say

R- Recognize that I have the power to help keep my kids substance-free

Hang this on your fridge as a reminder to be a Family Day STAR!

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