Well, 2026 is still pretty new-ish for us all, so here’s a 52-week challenge from positivediscipline.com to master a ton of new parenting ideas. That’s right, one a week, all the way through 2027. Ready, set, hit the link!
Hello world, and welcome to Smiles & Frowns! What started off as a real Mom and Pop and Three Crazy Kids story has lead to a super easy-to-use behavior tracking app – loaded with unique features – that we hope can offer a little peace and positivity to families everywhere.
If you are parent, you’ve been here before. On some fridge, at some time, you’ve put together some kind of positive parenting rewards chart to help your kids master better behavior. We put ours right by the front door where it couldn’t be missed. Made a big old frame. Nailed it to the wall and just kept improving it.
Over the years, people seemed to love the little board we called Smiles & Frowns. Other parents wanted to use it. Teachers we knew wanted to try it. And they all thought we should turn it into an app – including my friend, fellow dad, and coding partner, Brad. So here it is!
Is Smiles & Frowns the tool you’ve been looking for? We certainly hope so. And if you do like it, please point other parents you know in our direction. The more people that join in, the better we can make Smiles & Frowns work for you.
Thanks and good luck out there!
Tom & Brad
The Dads at Smiles & Frowns
While we continue working on great new behavior tracking features – including a Classroom Edition of Smiles & Frowns – we thought we’d share some positive parenting articles that we find interesting and inspiring. And if you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll get a monthly round-up with all these links!
Hey, it’s Wednesday. Our brains are warmed up enough to handle a little psychological theory, right?! This one from A Health Place reveals the psych principles behind positive parenting to help show why it is an effective approach to explore. Click the link! You got this!
Gentle parenting is often misunderstood – and even a little hard to wrap your head around sometimes. Here’s a post from parenting.com that takes another run at explaining the approach. It includes ideas for embraces the pros and minimizing the potential cons that come along with gentle parenting.
Here’s a nice (and short!) post loaded with great little tips and bits of wisdom. Some refreshing ideas, like making sure to “catch them being good” and use the moment to help your kids build confidence, pride, and ownership of their behavior. There are a bunch of good ones here from American Family Physician, so dive on in!
General Parenting Tips
Look for chances to catch your children being good. Recognize their good behavior with a kind word or a pat on the shoulder. Most children enjoy attention from their parents. Try to catch your children being good often, and only spend five to 10 seconds of time acknowledging them. The key is to recognize the good behavior, but not be disruptive.
www.aafp.org
You can never get enough behavior strategies articles, in my book. There’s always one or two little things to pick up. I love that this one from DiscoverTraining takes the time to dial into the importance of modeling good behavior for your kids. After all, good behavior is something we all should work on every day, right?
This one from Parent Map is really worth reading. Maybe it will inspire some new behaviors to talk about and trying to reinforce with the kids. (Hopefully, with Smiles & Frowns.) But it’s really offers a good perspective that leads back to modeling good communication, respect and empathy. Read on!
Techniques Positive Parenting News Challenge Clarity Collaboration Consequence Consistency The 5 C's
Improving Behavior, Building Self Esteem
We love these parenting strategies from vocal.media – and are especially interested in how well they line up with our 5C’s of Success: Clarity, Consistency, Collaboration, Consequence and a sense of Challenge. Remember, the more you can do to help them master good behavior, the better they feel about themselves!
You’ll start seeing more tips for teachers on the ol’ S&F blog rolling forward, and here’s a great one from Reading Rockets. And along with strategies for the classroom, this has a nice section on how parents can support these techniques at home. Take a look!
Positive Behavior Strategies: A Guide for Teachers
Positive behavior strategies (PBS) are research-based approaches to changing challenging student behavior. In this overview, you’ll find out what PBS looks like in the classroom and how to put it into practice. You’ll also learn how families can support PBS at home.
www.readingrockets.org
It’s not just about being nice. Learn how praise creates a powerful feedback loop that can help build better behavior for the long haul. This one from Just Mind Counseling is a really interesting read that might give you some encouraging new ideas.
We end the week with Part 3 of this series from Ask IFAS. This one leans into skills for both parents and teachers, all with the goal of helping give children more understanding and ownership of their own behaviors. If you missed the first couple, definitely circle back!
Positive Discipline, Part 3: Behavioral Management Skills for Parents and Teachers
Part 3 of this Positive Discipline: Behavioral Management Skills for Parents and Teachers series covers tips and strategies to help parents and teachers build critical thinking and positive behavioral skills in children.
edis.ifas.ufl.edu
