New
New
Year 5

Understanding peer pressure

I can explain why peer pressure is so powerful and describe ways we can say 'no' to our friends.

New
New
Year 5

Understanding peer pressure

I can explain why peer pressure is so powerful and describe ways we can say 'no' to our friends.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. We all have different motivations.
  2. Many of us would like to be popular among our friends, which can make it difficult it we experience peer pressure.
  3. We sometimes want to please our friends, even when it makes us feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
  4. It can be hard to say 'no' to friends, particularly for young people.
  5. Trusted adults can help with issues around peer pressure and we can practise saying 'no' firmly and clearly.

Keywords

  • Motivation - the reason why someone does something

  • Popular - how liked or admired someone is

  • Peer pressure - when someone tries to persuade or force someone else to do something

Common misconception

Being popular is more important than being safe.

Whilst it can feel good to be popular, our safety and feeling comfortable is more important. Good friends will never pressure us to do something unsafe.


To help you plan your year 5 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Understanding peer pressure, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Friendship issues are often contextual, so make sure that you include scenarios and examples of peer pressure that are most relevant to your setting.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with their correct definition.

Correct Answer:rules,expectations to follow that can keep us safe

expectations to follow that can keep us safe

Correct Answer:uncomfortable,feeling anxious, worried or unable to relax

feeling anxious, worried or unable to relax

Correct Answer:boundary,an imaginary line separating what we will and won't allow

an imaginary line separating what we will and won't allow

Correct Answer:unacceptable,doing or saying something that is not ok

doing or saying something that is not ok

Q2.
Someone we know offline who makes us feel safe and can help us is called a trusted ...

Correct Answer: adult

Q3.
What is a red flag?

a sign that a friendship is healthy
Correct answer: a sign that a friendship is unhealthy
a sign that a friendship is online
a sign that we should stay friends

Q4.
Which statements are true?

Correct answer: Good friends accept and celebrate each other.
Correct answer: We need to listen to friends to maintain a friendship.
A real friendship can never be damaged.
To repair friendships, we need to prove why our friend is wrong.

Q5.
Laura wants a hug, but her friend Aisha does not like hugs. What could Laura do?

Correct answer: find someone else who likes hugs and hug them
cross Aisha's boundary and hug her
Correct answer: ask Aisha for a high-five instead
get angry with Aisha and shout at her

Q6.
Getting permission to touch someone is called getting ...

respect
Correct answer: consent
affection
emotion

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with their definition.

Correct Answer:motivation,the reason why someone does something

the reason why someone does something

Correct Answer:popular,how liked or admired someone is

how liked or admired someone is

Correct Answer:peer pressure,when someone tries to persuade or force someone else to do something

when someone tries to persuade or force someone else to do something

Q2.
Which statements are true?

Being popular is more important than being safe.
Correct answer: Our safety and feeling comfortable is more important than being popular.
Good friends will pressure us to do something unsafe.
Correct answer: It is typical to want to be popular among our friends.

Q3.
It can be hard to say no to friends, particularly for people.

Correct Answer: young, younger

Q4.
What can we do if we are experiencing peer pressure?

give in to the peer pressure
peer pressure someone else
Correct answer: tell a trusted adult
Correct answer: say 'no' firmly and clearly
Correct answer: walk away from the situation

Q5.
Match the start of each sentence with how it should end.

Correct Answer:We might want to please our friends ...,even when it makes us uncomfortable.

even when it makes us uncomfortable.

Correct Answer:Being popular can mean ...,being thought of as ‘cool’ or ‘fun’.

being thought of as ‘cool’ or ‘fun’.

Correct Answer:We can say ‘no’ to our friends at ...,any time, but especially if we feel unsafe.

any time, but especially if we feel unsafe.

Correct Answer:People who peer pressure us ...,might make things sound safer than they really are.

might make things sound safer than they really are.

Q6.
Match the motivation to the example.

Correct Answer:money,choosing a job that pays well even if we don't like it

choosing a job that pays well even if we don't like it

Correct Answer:power,choosing to become a team captain in PE

choosing to become a team captain in PE

Correct Answer:popularity,learning jokes because we enjoy making our friends laugh

learning jokes because we enjoy making our friends laugh

Correct Answer:learning,choosing to read books about interesting topics in our free time

choosing to read books about interesting topics in our free time