Working on good behavior with your kids is a journey that can last from elementary school through high school. And that mean managing the transitions through the tween and teen years. This article and video from the CDC is a great primer to help you understand and prepare for the changes.
Category: Smiles & Frowns app
how the app puts our approach to work
We hope Smiles & Frowns is a great kids behavior tracking tool for you, no matter what parenting style you choose. And, boy, are there plenty of styles and strategies out there. Have you heard of “child-led parenting” yet? This one ought to give you a laugh to start the weekend.
Ah, the power of music. This SUPER SHORT observation has a few points on just how good it is for a child’s brain and body. Maybe it could inspire some musical new behaviors to reinforce. Maybe it will lead to new ideas for rewards. Or maybe it’s just a fun nugget for the weekend!
This one from CNBC might give you ideas for some new behaviors to define and encourage. (And customizing behaviors in S&F is easy.) The big theme is about resilience. The title of this one originally mentioned “toxic parenting habits,” btw, and I’m glad they changed it. As parents, we’re always working to figure out better ways to do things. This article offers some good perspectives that can really help.
I’ve studied over 200 kids—parents who raise mentally strong children never do 7 things
It’s our job to give kids the tools they need to be mentally strong in life. Child psychologist Reem Raouda has studied more than 200 child-parent relationships. Based on her research, she’s identified the seven things to avoid if you want your kids to be resilient and confident.
www.cnbc.com
A fun way to end the week, oh yes. The ol’ maxim for rewards is, “whatever works, works.” So if you need a fun idea or two for some really juicy new rewards – which you can create in S&F in literally seconds – then check out this little list from parent.com. Happy hunting!
This list of gems from Time.com could help your kids navigate their world in a healthier light. It can also inspire new behaviors – new “Smiles” – you can to easily add to your plan in S&F. Take a look!
Do we ever post about ourselves? Sure we do. (In fact, you can select the Smiles & Frowns App category on the right to read all about us.) And this post is about our latest update. It includes tons of “under-the-hood” work, plus a few visual enhancements like this nifty QuickStart graphic for new users. It’s just part of our commitment to make S&F the fastest, easiest and most reliable behavior tracking app out there.
We’re all aware of the stress social media is causing for our kids, including making them feel that they are missing out or are less than others. This nice one from parents.com suggests that encouraging hobbies and interests can build their self-esteem. The result? Replacing the Fear Of Missing Out with the Joy Of Missing Out. Try creating some new Smiles and Rewards in our app help motivate their mojo:)
I don’t know why we love Drew Barrymore, but we just do. Probably because she’s genuine, and her advice for modeling good behavior in this People article is really nice. You know, even using an app like ours to work on good behavior with your kids is a form of modeling. It’s a chance to show them that the things they do are really about who they want to be. Thanks for reminding us of that, Drew!
Drew Barrymore Shares Her Tips for Dealing with Mom Burnout and How She Models Good Behavior
In a new cover story for ‘Real Simple,’ Drew Barrymore shares her tips for dealing with mom burnout and how she models good behavior for her kids. The actress shares her two daughters, Frankie, 11, and Olive, 12, with ex Will Kopelman.
people.com
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