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 one from Psychology Today is tricky and deep – even a little hard to follow. (And I’ve read it four times.) But the insights it offers about what shapes a child’s mindset are pretty thought provoking. So dive in and hang on! There are some great nuggets here.
The Overlooked Parenting Skills Kids Need Most
Troubling trends in youth mental health have shone a light on how children—and parents—are struggling today. It’s hard to be a parent in 2025, regardless of your child’s age. Young children have trouble making sense of the world; grown children wrestle with setting boundaries with parents (and vice versa). Fortunately, there are some overlooked ways to solve problems and foster resilience—at any age.
www.psychologytoday.com
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 kind of introducing the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to you and ourselves at the same time here. So check it out this deep link and see what they offer. Some great thinking from an association of professionals focused on promoting high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8. Could be a great new resource for us all.
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:)
Did you know Father’s Day in Australia is in September? Well, as we say goodbye to good ol’ month #9, we have two sweet dad posts to share from Down Under. The first talks about fathers building a positive sense of what it means to be “a man and a dad”. It looks at the need to share parenting more equally with moms (which is a major feature of S&F, btw). And the second is a charming nod to how having kids changes guys into dads in the great ways. Nice!
Starting with what makes a child stubborn is what makes this “tips” list from TOI different. The ideas here suggest ways to turn learned behavioral patterns (ie. yelling gets me this) into empathetic opportunities to create new patterns that work better for everyone.
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
This is a tricky one, but worth sharing in a world that is stressing out our kids. The idea is that there are action-oriented behaviors we can encourage – like planting a garden if they’re concerned about climate change – that can help them feel less anxious about their worries. And it all starts with just checking in with them to see how they’re feeling. Always a good thing, yeah?
Positive Parenting: The Toll of Emotional Inflammation – 41NBC News | WMGT-DT
From endless news alerts to what they hear at school; today’s kids are growing up in a world filled with constant uncertainty. More than 70% of teens say climate change affects their mental health, and nearly half of young people globally report feeling sad, anxious, or powerless about the future. That growing stress has a name: It’s called climate anxiety or emotional inflammation.
www.41nbc.com