An Educator’s Guide to Youth Health
Article written by Chloe Nicosia
General Health
- Body Basics
- Human Digestive System for Kids – Learn how the body breaks down food to provide us with energy that our cells can use!
- Puberty Basics – Learn about the changes your body will go through once you hit puberty!
- Sleep
- Children and Sleep – Sleep is an extremely important factor in overall health for all living things. Learn about the different sleep cycles and the proper amount of rest time for mental and physical developments.
- Aches, Pains and Injuries
- Growing Pains in Children – Growing pains are common in children and preteens. Find out what is a common growing pain, and what aches might be a cause for concern.
- Sick Kids
- Colds in Children – Children are at high risk for the common cold virus. Learn about the symptoms and proper procedures for taking care of your child.
- Human Body
- A Kid’s Guide to Life Sciences: The Human Body Systems – Learn about the human anatomy, from the nervous system to the respiratory system and beyond.
- Ears, Eyes, Nose & Throat
- Common Conditions for Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat – Children are common to conditions in the ears, eyes, nose and throat; find out the warning signs and
- Teeth
- Teeth Health for Children – Taking care of your teeth and gums is an important part of overall health that must be instilled in children at a young age. Find out how you can teach children proper care!
Growth and Development
- Growing up
- Parent and Teen Struggles: A Survival Guide – Tips for parents to survive the often combative and harsh teenage years.
- Communication
- Parenting: Communication Tips for Parents – Make sure your kids know you’re listening. Follow this advice for relating and communicating with your kids of all ages.
- Feeding and Eating
- Kids Living with Food Allergies – More than ever, food allergies are prevalent in today’s society. Learn how to spot the warning signs and how to manage your child’s food allergies.
- Eating Disorders and Children – Child development is affected heavily when eating disorders are involved. Learn about the causes of eating disorders as well as how how to spot the different types of disorders.
- How to Handle Picky Eaters – Kids can be picky eaters; learn about the psychology behind their refusal to eat certain foods, and how to deal with these issues.
- Growth
- BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen – Want to know if your child or teen is growing at a healthy rate? These calculators can help!
- Senses
- Using the Senses – Discover how you can use vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste to connect with your child, especially at the newborn age.
- Sexual Development
- Understanding Early Sexual Development – Learn how to teach your child that curiosity about his or her body is a normal part of life.
Infections
- Stomach and Intestinal Infections
- Common Stomach and Intestinal Infections – Vomiting and diarrhea are common side effects for young children; find out what infections might be plaguing your kid!
- Cold and Flu
- The Cold and Flu and Your Kids – Schools can be a breeding ground for the common cold and flu. Learn how you can prevent and treat these pesky illnesses.
- Bacterial and Viral Infections
- Chickenpox and Kids – One of the most common viral infections in children is chickenpox, caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Find out the causes, symptoms and treatment for this infection.
- Ear Infections
- Ear Infections in Children – The most common ear infection in children is the acute otitis media. Find out how to spot if your child needs to see a doctor.
- Eye Infections
- Eye Infections in Infants and Children – Conjunctivitis, the most common eye infection seen in children, can be painful and itchy and lead to a more serious condition if not treated. Learn about the warning signs to spot this infection.
- Immunization For Kids
- Immunization Schedules – The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has made a handy list of schedules and tools that you can use to ensure your baby, child, and teen receive their proper immunizations throughout their growing years.
- Skin Infections and Rashes
- Childhood Skin Problems – If you are unsure what the rash or bump is on your child’s skin, these sideshows and pictures may help you identify what is wrong.
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- STD Teensource – If you’re having sex of any kind, it’s important for you to be aware of all the sexually transmitted diseases that are out there. (Some show no symptoms at all!) Educate yourself before it’s too late!
Disease & Conditions
- Allergies and the Immune System
- Common Allergies in Kids to Watch Out For – Over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies; your child is not alone. Find out how allergies affect the overall health and wellbeing of your child.
- Bones and Muscles
- Fun Muscle Facts for Kids – Human body facts for kids dealing with muscles and how they affect physical movements in the body!
- Bones and Skeleton – Your Bodies Frame – Can you name all the bones in the human body? This guide teaches you about each one and the major functions they play a part in!
- Brain and the Nervous System
- Neuroscience for Kids – Learn about the human brain and the function of the nervous system in the human body!
- Cancer
- What is Cancer? – Teaching kids about cancer can be a difficult topic to discuss. Kidshealth.org helps explain what cancer is and how it affects the human body.
- Heart and Blood Vessels
- The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Heart – Take a ride on the magic school bus and explore the inner workings of the human heart!
- Learning Disorders
- Types of Learning Disorders and Disabilities in Children – Learn about the types of learning disabilities and other behavior problems that can affect children starting at a young age.
- Lungs and Respiratory System
- Discovery Kids: Your Respiratory System – Do you know how we live and breath? Take a tour of the human body’s respiratory system and see why it’s such an important part of the human body!
Nutrition & Fitness
- Healthy Eating
- Choose My Plate – The US department of agriculture has put together a kid’s guide to eating healthy, complete with meal plans, games, and helpful videos!
- Encourage Kids To Eat Healthy – PBS has put together some helpful tips and techniques to encourage your kids to eat healthy. Meal plans for special dietary needs, teaching kids how to read food labels, and easy cooking recipes for kids help make eating fun!
- Staying Fit
- How to Help Your Kids Stay Fit (even if they’re not athletic) – Not every kid loves to be outdoors and get exercise. Time.com provides some easy and fun ideas to keep your kids active and fit!
- Exercise Safety
- Exercise Safely for Kids – Exercise is an important part of staying healthy, but if not done properly, it can do more harm than good. Find out the proper techniques for exercising!
- Special Dietary Needs
- Children with Special Dietary Needs – Not all kids can eat the same foods. Food allergies are more common than ever in children. Find out the proper care and nutrition for your child with food allergies.
- Weight and Eating Disorders
- Eating Disorders in Kids and Teens – Discover the many types of eating disorders, in addition to the causes of these disorders, the dangers of these eating habits and what you can do to help.
- Health Recipes
- Super Healthy Kids Recipes – An abundance of healthy recipes that are kid tested and approved; learn to cook with your kids, too!
- BMI Calculators and Tools
- Interactive BMI Calculators and other Nutritional Tools – Teach your kids how to calculate their proper nutritional needs, and how to reach their health and fitness goals!
Emotions & Behavior
- Feelings and Emotions
- What is Cyberbullying? – Learn all about this new form of bullying in the digital age, and how to prevent and stop it.
- Stomp Out Bullying – Why do kids bully? What can you do to help? This helpful parenting guide will educate you on all the things you can do to keep your kids safe and happy.
- Childhood Anxiety Disorders – Learn about the many different kinds of anxiety disorders and how to manage them.
- Depression in Children and Teens – The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides you with an in depth guide the explains the warning signs and symptoms of depression in young children and teens.
- Mirror Mirror Eating Disorders – The number of young children diagnosed with eating disorders is on the rise; learn the warning signs and how to talk to your children about proper nutrition and health, starting at a young age!
- Children and Divorce: Helping Kids After a Breakup – Divorce can affect children differently than adults. Learn how to help your child cope with their new family situation.
- Dealing with Death and Grief in Children and Teenagers – Everyone deals with death differently. This guide will help you understand how children and teens view death, and what you can do to help them through this grueling process.
- Identifying Signs of Stress in Your Children and Teens – Children and the youth can experience stress just like adults can. Learn how to watch for signs of stress and anxiety, and how to help your child through difficult times.
School & Family life
- Test Taking Strategies
- Test Stress: Ten Terrific Test-Taking Tips – PBS provides children with ten tips to help them ace their next quiz or test!
- Study Skills
- Scholastic’s Everyday Study Skills – These lesson plans will help teachers and parents alike with their children’s education.
- Time Management
- How to Teach Your Child Time Management – This slide show geared towards parents, will help you educate your child on time management skills – and not just in classroom!
- Step Families
- Making Step Families Work – Blended families are more common than ever nowadays. Teach your children how this new family will work!
- Disciplining Your Child
- Positive Parenting: How to Discipline Your Child – No one wants to yell at their kids; positive parenting solutions teaches you how to discipline your child in a productive way!
- Learning How to Drive
- Tips for Parents Teaching Their Teens How to Drive – The dmv.org has provided parents with a helpful how-to guide when dealing with teens behind the wheel
- Connecting With Your Child
- 30 Joyful Ways to Connect with your Child in 10 Minutes – This helpful article provides 30 tips for connecting with your child, at a variety of ages.
- Helping Your Child with Their Schoolwork
- Helping Your Child Succeed in School – The US Department of Education provides a how-to guide with activities, printables and other resources for assisting your child in their education and school work!
First Aid & Safety
- Family Emergency Preparedness
- Family Preparedness Made Easy – the American Red Cross has put together a helpful guide of practice drills for your family to stay safe in any disaster!
- Fire Safety
- Public Education: Basic Fire Escape Planning – If you and your family don’t have a fire escape plan yet, this guide can help. In addition, there are plenty of fire safety resources for people for all ages!
- Baby Proofing Your Home
- Childproofing Checklist – New parents should follow this baby checklist for safe-proofing your home.
- First Aid 101
- First Aid 101 – This EMS safety guide will give you all the information you need to be prepared for any sudden injury. You can also learn how to become first aid certified!
- Gun Safety
- NRA: Eddie Eagle Gun Safety – The national rifle association of America has provided children and parents alike, a helpful tool for learning all about gun safety awareness.
- Internet Safety
- Netsmartz – Covering everything from cyberbullying, phishing and avoiding online predators, this online safety guide is great for children of all ages!
- Driving Safety
- Traffic Safety Kids Page – the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee has put together an all encompassing guide for all things related to traffic safety. From bike safety to safe walking in the streets, this guide will keep you and your child safe.
- Household Safety
- Safety at Home – The national safety council has put together a list of top causes of unintentional injuries and deaths in homes. Learn what to be cautious of and how to handle these situations if injuries arise.
Drugs & Alcohol
- Talking to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol
- Talking to Your Kids: Communicating the Risks – The national institute on drug abuse has put together a helpful 65-point talking guide to get the conversation going.
- 7 Tips for Talking to Your Kids About Drugs – As times change, so do the conversations. This up to date guide will give you 7 realistic talking points for the modern child about drugs and sober living.
- An Interactive Lesson Guide for Parents and Teachers to Teach Kids About Drugs and Alcohol – From lesson plans to games and quizzes, this all inclusive guide will help both the parent and teacher alike!
- Drunk Driving
- Impaired Driving: Get the Facts – The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has put together and eye opening guide, complete with statistics, of the damage drunk and impaired driving creates.
- MADD Drunk Driving – Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a powerful organization that has made it their mission to educate the young and old alike.
- Peer Pressure
- Why Does Peer Pressure Influence Teens to Try Drugs – The National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens published their findings on how peer pressure influences a child’s decision to try drugs and leads to treatment at an outpatient rehab.
- The Dangers of Substance Abuse
- What are the Dangers of Substance Abuse?: Focusing on the health, legal and emotional aspects of substance abuse, this article will make your child aware of all of the dangers.
- Science of Addiction
- The Science of Addiction: Drugs, Brains and Behavior – NIH Medline Plus helps you understand the effects of drugs on the brain and how likely a person is to become addicted based on other factors.