Primary - Think Twice - Year 5-6

If a Life Education Educator and our mascot Healthy Harold came to visit your child’s school today they may have participated in the ‘Think Twice’ session.

What is ‘Think Twice’ and how can you create conversations with your children about alcohol awareness?

Did you know that the average age of initiation or experimentation with drinking alcohol is as young as 14 years of age? ‘Think Twice’ helps upper primary students explore a range of issues around the social, legal and physical consequences of alcohol consumption, giving them the knowledge and skills to use if faced with making decisions related to alcohol in the future.

How old does my child have to be to participate in ‘Think Twice’?
‘Think Twice’ has been developed for children ages 9-11 years old (upper primary).

What did they learn?
In this module students explore issues relating to alcohol. Key topics covered include:

• The effect alcohol has on the body systems
• Myths such as, that alcohol isn't as bad as other drugs, or that drinking makes you cool, and facts about alcohol,
• Physical, social, legal and financial repercussions of drinking alcohol
• Reasons why people choose not to drink alcohol.

What you can do at home?

We recognise that parents and carers have a pivotal role in supporting children to make safe and healthy choices. If your child did receive the ‘Think Twice’ session, we are sure they will be excited to tell you all about it. But whether they participated or not, we have suggested some ways as a family that you can help your children explore issues around alcohol.

Watch ‘Alcohol in the Body’
The Australian Drug Foundation has loads of great resources about alcohol that you can explore with your family. Why not start by watching this video about how our bodies process alcohol and what happens when we have too much. WARNING: You might want to watch this video first before sharing with your kids.

Have a chat
Speak to your child about what they learnt during the ‘Think Twice’ session; here are some ideas to start the conversation:

• What advice would you give to your friends about alcohol?
• What advice would you give to adults about drinking alcohol?
• What would you do if someone offered you alcohol?

The Other Talk offers some excellent advice on how you can have conversations with your child about issues around alcohol consumption.

Download our printable 'Think Twice' factsheet and pop it up on your fridge!

Read:Talking to your kids about alcohol.