Designed as a family friendly place, SmileMiles is also a revolutionary education game. In discussion with their children, parents define rules for acquiring SmileMiles on each child’s House Rules page. The game focuses on family interaction with reference to each child’s own special situation. There is no competition with other children or parents. Once the House Rules are agreed for the child, and the first SmileStone is set, parents award SmileMiles in their child’s account to record progress towards the SmileStone. Rules may differ for each child in a family. Unlike traditional reward charts, SmileMiles appeals to older children as much as younger ones.

Using the Setup Page, you set the next SmileStone or goal, which - like any reward chart - may be to stop a particular habit or change a bad response to certain social situations, recognising that every child has different needs and responses. SmileMiles can be a behaviour modifier, or simply a reward method. While SmileMiles is no substitute for hugs and praise, it can be used to stimulate discussion and define boundaries.

Each child in each family has different needs. Some may just need encouragement to go on with something you believe is good for them. In any case, House Rules can be used to set and agree boundaries. Of course, as in any reward system, you have to know when you’re wasting both your efforts, and try something else. It’s then that you both agree to maybe move the goalposts, by resetting the SmileStone. Which is fine as long as you both recognise you’re doing it. The main thing is to keep communicating.

In discussion around the dinner table – or anywhere you can get to talk really - parents and children set goals together. Goals may be anything ranging from behavior modifications to saving for a holiday, a party, or even a specific item such as a computer game.

SmileStones, like every child’s goals, may change rarely or often. Sometimes parent and child will agree to throw them away and start again. Each goal may last for days, weeks, months or even years. If a SmileStone is reached, a congratulations email is sent to parent and child, and the SmileStone is set as a record on the child’s Achievement page. The account is reset to zero and the education game starts over. The parent may now select a new SmileMiles preference.

The parent may at any time reset the account to zero and select a new SmileStone. To ensure fairness, a confirmation email is sent to both parent and child each time this occurs.

The account may also be used as a simple pocket-money account. In this case, Parents decide to set an open-ended goal, where you choose - or agree - a description, and the account simply maintains an ongoing balance. Parents award SmileMiles according to the House Rules and redeem them in return for money or other goods. For some older children, the educational game of SmileMiles may become incidental to SmileSpace. Again, the important thing is to keep communicating.

An important feature of the SmileMiles experience is Family Friendly communication, not just in setting up each game, but as an ongoing habit. Some things can be explained better when written than when spoken. SmileMiles therefore provides you with a secure family email facility. This is effectively a private messaging channel between family members, which enables you to send messages without the nuisance of Spam. It is simple to operate, much as with a regular web mail facility. We think it encourages the development of written communication skills. You can also choose to use this medium to receive all SmileMiles account messages, although for security reasons we will always send important messages to your external email (login) address as well.

Next you can see some other features of your SmileMiles account.

Nurturing the Good Times>>

SmileMiles – The Game | SmileMiles & SmileStones | House Rules, Gameplays and Communication | Nurturing the Good Times | Bringing it Together | View Published Smilespaces

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