More About The 40 Developmental Assets

Many things you do - or could do - every day make a big difference for kids. How? By building Developmental Assets - the 40 essential building blocks that children and teenagers need as a foundation for growing up. (And here are three reasons to build assets.) Research shows that these assets can have a positive impact on young people's lives.

Here are definitions for the 40 Developmental Assets. Each topic is broken down into four age categories: Infants and Toddlers, Preschoolers, Elementary, and Teenagers.

The 40 Developmental Assets are grouped into two major types: external assets and internal assets. External assets are positive developmental experiences that surround children with support, empowerment, and opportunity for constructive use of time. External assets are provided by many different formal and informal systems in a community. Internal assets are a young person's own commitments, values, and competencies. As with the external assets, community is important of the development of these internal assets. (Click here for a listing and description of the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents.)

External Assets:

• Support them with your love, care, and attention. (Assets #1-6)
  
  
• Empower them with opportunities to make a difference in their family and community. (Assets #7-10)
  
  
• Establish clear Boundaries and have high Expectations. (Assets #11-16)
  
  
• Help them find activities that make Constructive Use Of their Time. (Assets #17-20)

Internal Assets:

• Nurture in them a Commitment To Learning. (Assets #21-25)
  
  
• Instill Positive Values to guide them. (Assets #26-31)
  
  
• Help them develop life skills and Social Competencies. (Assets #32-36)
  
  
• Nurture, celebrate, and affirm their Positive Identity. (Assets #37-40)
  

Some information on this page and the associated linked pages is Copyright©1999 by 3M and Search Institute. Used by permission. Also Adapted from Starting Out Right: Developmental Assets for Children. Copyright©1997 by Search Institute. Used by permission. For more information on the Search Institute and its publications, visit the Search Institute website at www.search-institute.org.

Copyright©2003 by the Great Lakes Center for Youth Development except where noted
Contact Judy Watson-Olson or Karen Thompson at (906)228-8919 with questions/comments
Some information on this site is produced by other sources, see bibliography for source
This page was last updated on Thursday, November 20th, 2008