Red Ribbon Week® is officially here. From October 23–31, families, schools and communities across the country come together to encourage healthy choices and support young people in living drug-free. This year's Red Ribbon Week theme, “Make A Difference. Be A Hero. Stay Drug Free.™,” is a reminder that being a hero does not require a cape, extraordinary powers or a grand gesture.
For kids, being a hero can mean making a healthy choice when no one is watching. It can mean supporting a friend, walking away from pressure, asking a trusted adult for help or setting an example for someone younger.
And for parents and caregivers, participating in Red Ribbon Week does not have to mean planning an elaborate event.
In fact, some of the most meaningful ways families can participate can happen during an ordinary drive home, around the dinner table or in a five-minute conversation before bed.
Here are seven simple ways your family can participate in Red Ribbon Week 2026 this week.
Wearing red is one of the simplest and most recognizable ways to participate in Red Ribbon Week.
Have everyone in your family wear something red to school, work or activities during the week. Add a red ribbon to a backpack, purse or front door.
But don't stop with the color.
Use it as an opportunity to explain what the red ribbon represents.
Ask younger children what they think it means to make a healthy choice. With older kids and teens, talk about how the decisions they make today can affect their goals, relationships and future.
You might ask:
There doesn't need to be a perfect answer. The goal is simply to start the conversation.
Red Ribbon Week gives families an easy opportunity to put their commitment to healthy choices into words.
Informed Families offers both Parent and Youth Red Ribbon Week pledges that families can use together.
The 2026 Youth Pledge encourages young people to understand the dangers of drug use, make healthy choices that protect their minds and bodies and spread the message about living healthy and drug-free.
Parents can make commitments of their own, too.
When families take the pledge together, it sends an important message to children:
Healthy choices are something our whole family values.
Consider signing your pledges and displaying them somewhere visible for the remainder of the month.
Parents sometimes feel like talking about drugs or alcohol requires one big, serious conversation.
It doesn't.
Prevention is often more effective when conversations happen naturally and continue over time.
Choose just one moment this week to talk.
Dinner, the drive to school, a walk around the neighborhood or even a commercial or social media post can create an opening.
For younger children, the conversation might focus on healthy choices and trusted adults.
For tweens and teens, you can begin talking about things they may already encounter, including vaping, alcohol, marijuana, prescription medications or pressure from friends and social media.
Try questions that invite conversation rather than yes-or-no answers:
“What do kids your age think about vaping?”
“What would you do if a friend offered you something you weren't comfortable with?”
“If you were ever in a situation where you needed help, who would you call?”
Most importantly, listen.
Your child does not need you to have every answer. They need to know they can come to you when questions or difficult situations arise.
The 2026 Red Ribbon Week theme gives families a great opportunity to rethink what being a “hero” actually means.
Ask everyone in your family to name someone they consider a hero.
It might be a teacher who encourages students.
A coach who sets a positive example.
A friend who stands up for someone else.
A first responder.
A grandparent.
A sibling.
Or even a classmate who has the confidence to make a good decision when others don't.
Then ask:
“What makes that person a hero?”
You may hear answers like kindness, courage, responsibility, honesty or helping others.
Those conversations help children understand an important part of this year's Red Ribbon Week message: heroes can be ordinary people making positive choices every day.
Then turn the question around.
Ask your child:
“What's one way you could be a hero for someone else this week?”
Many schools celebrate Red Ribbon Week with spirit days, classroom activities, contests, assemblies and prevention messages.
Ask your child what's happening at their school this week.
If there is a dress-up day, participate.
If students are creating posters, help brainstorm ideas.
If your school is collecting Red Ribbon pledges, sign one.
If families are invited to an event, attend if you can.
And instead of only asking, “What did you do for Red Ribbon Week today?”, try asking:
“What was the message behind what you did today?”
That small shift can help move the focus from the activity itself to the reason behind it.
Parents and caregivers can also share Informed Families' Red Ribbon resources with teachers, parent organizations and school leaders who may be looking for additional prevention tools.
Informed Families offers free resources to help parents, schools and communities bring the Red Ribbon message to life, including parent resources, youth pledges, planning materials and downloadable tools.
One of the best ways to reinforce the 2026 theme is to put it into action.
Choose one simple thing your family can do together that positively affects someone else.
It doesn't need to be complicated.
Help a neighbor.
Write a thank-you note to a teacher.
Donate items to a local organization.
Check in on a family member.
Invite someone who may be feeling left out to join an activity.
Compliment someone who needs encouragement.
Let your children choose the action whenever possible.
Then connect it back to this year's message:
Making a difference often starts with one small decision.
The same idea applies to healthy choices. Kids do not have to control everything happening around them. What they can control is the next choice they make.
Red Ribbon Week isn't limited to the classroom.
Families across the country can participate in the 2026 National Red Ribbon Photo Contest by decorating their homes around this year's theme and submitting a photo.
Families may enter a home decoration, while schools can submit school decorations. The 2026 contest is open through November 2, giving families a few extra days after Red Ribbon Week to participate.
You could decorate your front door, porch, yard or another part of your home around the message:
Make A Difference. Be A Hero. Stay Drug Free.™
Get the kids involved in deciding what your family's display should look like and what message they want it to send.
Even if you don't enter the contest, creating something together can spark another valuable conversation about what Red Ribbon Week means to your family.
There are plenty of fun ways to celebrate Red Ribbon Week.
Wear red.
Decorate.
Participate in spirit days.
Take the pledge.
Enter the photo contest.
But prevention is ultimately about something much bigger than one week's activities.
It's about connection.
When young people have trusted adults they can talk to, clear family expectations and opportunities to discuss difficult situations before they happen, they are better prepared to make healthy decisions when those moments arrive.
You don't need to fit all seven of these Red Ribbon Week ideas into your family's schedule.
Choose one.
Have one conversation.
Ask one thoughtful question.
Spend a little extra time listening.
Let your child know that if they ever find themselves in an uncomfortable situation, they can call you.
Those small moments matter.
Red Ribbon Week ends October 31.
Your family's prevention efforts don't have to.
Continue asking questions. Continue talking about healthy choices. Continue getting to know your children's friends and what's happening in their lives. Continue creating opportunities for your kids to come to you without fear of an immediate lecture or judgment.
Red Ribbon Week gives families an excellent reason to start these conversations.
Strong family connections help keep them going.
This week, remind your children that they already have the ability to make a difference—in their own lives and in the lives of the people around them.
Make A Difference. Be A Hero. Stay Drug Free.