Making Good Decisions
Understanding How People’s Choices Can Affect Health
During the 2024–25 school year, Healthy NewsWorks reporters have researched decision-making and how people’s choices can affect their health. They explored topics including social media, mindfulness, friendship, and the brain. Please ask your students to view our reporters’ videos and read the Spring 2025 By Kids, For Kids magazine. Use the activities below to help your students think about how they make decisions. They also can contribute a reflection to our By Kids, For Kids page.
Watch Student Videos
Read Student Magazines
Activities to Use in Your Classroom
Write a reflection
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Dean Millard, Villanova University student body president, shares how good decisions have contributed to his success. Think about what you’d like to do in your future and write a plan to get there and the good choices you’ll have to make along the way.
Create a mind map
View Acitivity
Dr. Joseph Kable, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about how choices help our brains learn regardless of the outcome. Think of choices you make every day. List the decisions you have to make and write about the possible outcomes of each path. For example, you may have to decide whether to do your homework as soon as you get home or wait until after activities or dinner. What are the potential outcomes of each?
Write a PSA
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In the magazine, Dr. Jen Caudle, a family physician and associate professor at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, shares advice for limiting social media usage. Use one of her tips and create a public service announcement.
Write a letter
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Tim Massaquoi, a therapist and former National Football League player, talks about the importance of friendship. Think about someone who has been a good friend to you. Maybe they’ve stuck by you through something difficult or cheered you up when you’re feeling down. Write a letter, thanking them and telling them what they’ve done to be a good friend.
Practice mindfulness
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With the help of a grownup or trusted adult, research some mindfulness techniques. According to Dr. Dan Taylor, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and associate professor of pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine, getting started with just a couple of minutes of mindfulness can help you build healthy habits. Find three techniques you could try out. Write down what the technique is and how it made you feel.
Meet Our Featured Leaders
Dean Millard
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Dean Millard is the first Black student body president in Villanova University’s history. He also serves as senior White House correspondent for AKSM Media and is a peer tutor in Villanova’s Writing Center. One of Dean’s favorite experiences in journalism is working with ABC News for the 2024 Presidential Debate.
Tim Massaquoi
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Tim Massaquoi is a counselor and executive director of The Kingsessing Heals Community Resilience Center. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Organization Development. Tim is also a board member for the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative and the Healthy News Works advisory board and was nominated for the NFL Retired Players Mental Health Advisory Board.
Dr. Joseph Kable
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Dr. Joseph Kable is a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He studies human decision-making by integrating ideas from economics, psychology, and neuroscience. He has given talks at The Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Science Festival, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, NBC News, and Freakonomics.com.
Dr. Jennifer Caudle
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Dr. Jen Caudle is a family medicine physician and professor at Rowan University-School of Osteopathic Medicine. Before this, Dr. Caudle was an instructor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She appears as a regular on-air health expert for local and national news networks, including NBC’s “TODAY” show, CNN, and FOX News.
Dr. Daniel Taylor
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Dr. Dan Taylor is a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and associate professor of pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Taylor founded Cap4Kids, an online resource connecting families to community services and providers to address social determinants of health.
