Now is one of the best times to begin to talk to your child about making good choices. The attitudes and habits they form will have an important bearing on the decisions they face when they are older.

At this early age, they are eager to know and memorize rules, and they want your opinion on what is good and bad. Although they're not ready for the complex facts about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, they can understand that smoking is bad for them.

By the time your child is in third grade, he or she should understand:

• How foods, poisons, medicines and illegal drugs differ.
• How medicines prescribed by a doctor should only be given by a responsible adult, and will be harmful if misused.
• Why adults may drink but children may not - it is harmful to developing brains and bodies.

Developmental Assets

The Search Institute has identified the building blocks of healthy development that help young children grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. The following is a sample of the assets for Early Childhood. For the complete list click here.

• Parents and caregivers provide the child with high levels of consistent and predictable love, physical care, and positive attention in ways that are responsive to the childâ??s individuality.
• The child has opportunities to perform simple but meaningful and caring actions for others.
• Parents and caregivers and other adults model self-control, social skills, engagement in learning, and healthy lifestyles.
• The child has daily opportunities to play in ways that allow self-expression, physical activity and interaction with others.
• The child cooperates, shares, plays harmoniously, and comforts others in distress.
• The child begins to compromise and resolve conflicts without using physical aggression or hurtful language.
• The child likes him or herself and has a growing sense of being valued by others.