Social and Emotional Development in Kids and Teens

Here you will find links to resources about care, services, and support and websites about promoting healthy social and emotional development. Separate sections present websites about babies and young kids and school-age kids and teens. Another lists websites for teens.

Care, Services, and Support

See the MCH Digital Library’s Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families. The locator can help you find services for education and special needs, health and wellness, mental health and well-being, family support, parenting, child care and early childhood education, and financial support.

Websites

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP): Facts for Families. Information for families in English and Spanish on topics like bullying, divorce, lying, and violence on television.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): HealthyChildren.org. Information about developmental stages, healthy living, safety and prevention, family life, and health issues.
Bright Futures at Georgetown University: Family Materials. Booklets, tip sheets, and forms to help you play an active role in your child's health and well-being and to help you work together with health professionals. Some materials are available in Spanish.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Positive Parenting Tips. Suggestions in English and Spanish for helping your child or teen learn and develop.
Family Voices (FV): IMPACT on Health and Wellness for Families.. Information about physical and emotional health and wellness by age group or stages of development and by theme (i.e., family support, child development, mental health, healthy weight, healthy food and eating, physical activity, oral health, healthy sexual development and sexuality, safety and injury prevention, and community relationships and resources).
KidsHealth. Health information in English and Spanish for parents, teens, and kids on topics that include emotions and behavior, growth and development, and positive parenting.

Babies and Young Kids

Building Blocks for a Healthy Future. Tips, materials, and ideas for helping kids ages 3 to 6 to grow up making healthy decisions. Some materials are available in Spanish.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL): Family Tools. Free online parent classes in English and Spanish, booklets, and tips about how to teach young children social and emotional skills.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Learn the Signs. Act Early: Information for Families. Information and tools in English and Spanish to help you keep track of your child's development and get help if you're concerned.
Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI): Families. Tips on how to make often challenging events easier to navigate, and even fun, for caregivers and kids.
Whole Child. Articles, tips, video clips, and activity ideas about development from birth to age 5. Social and emotional development is addressed. Some resources are available in Spanish.
Zero to Three. Tips and tools on promoting social emotional development.

School-Age Kids and Teens

Children Now: Talking with Kids About Tough Issues. Tips for talking more easily with your kids about difficult issues, including sex, drugs, death, and divorce.
National School Climate Center: Parents and Families. Questions to consider and tips for creating a safe and caring home.
See the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fact sheets, Helping Your Child Feel Connected to School (2009) and Monitoring Your Teen's Activities: What Parents and Families Should Know, rev. ed. (2012).

For Teens

Center for Young Women's Health. Health and wellness information in English and Spanish for teen girls about health and development, emotional health, and other topics.
TeensHealth. Health information in English and Spanish. Topics include feelings, emotions, relationships, and dealing with problems.
Young Men's Health. Health and wellness information for teen guys and young men about health, development, emotional health, and sexuality.
Office on Women's Health. 2010. Bright Futures: A Young Woman's Guide to Emotional Wellness, rev. ed. Rockville, MD: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This guide for young women provides tips on how to improve emotional health by appreciating yourself, finding balance and purpose, and connecting with others. The guide is available in English and Spanish.

Learn more about healthy social and emotional development.

Need more information? Use the collection of resources that library staff have put together for you and your family.

Social and Emotional Development in Kids and Teens: Family Resource Brief, 2nd ed. (May 2011). (Updated: November 2014).

Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Reviewers: Lauren Agoratus, M.A., Family Voices and Family-to-Family Health Information Resource Center at the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of N.J.; Robin L. Harwood, Ph.D., Maternal and Child Health Bureau; Keri Linas, Ph.D., Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development; Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Digital Library; Judi Siegel, L.I.C.S.W., Children's Hospital Boston.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Digital Library.