The main objective of this research (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, EDU2012-38074) is to identify educational strategies parents need to learn to be more effective in building up positive family dynamics which promote their children’s development. An exploratory descriptive methodology and quantitative procedures to gather information were used. The variables were classified into seven dimensions related to children’s development as well as to parents’ cognitive, emotional and social competences for positive parenting. A random sample composed of 2.366 Spanish mothers from urban and rural areas of North of Spain took part. They have different educational backgrounds and participated voluntarily. Their children were enrolled in kindergarten (0-6 years old), primary school (6-11 years old) and secondary school (12-18 years old). A questionnaire with four point Likert scale answers adapted from Martínez-González (2009) was applied obtaining a Cronbach Alpha of .822. Data were analysed through quantitative descriptive and association measures using SPSS. Results show that most of the participants perceive they have adequate parenting competences. However, those having teenager children showed lower levels of self-esteem and assertiveness than the others. Consequently, parenting programs carried out in secondary schools would be beneficial for families with children in this school level.