Smiley face behavior chart

How a smiley face chart works

The chart is a grid of empty circles. Each circle stands for one part of the day or one day. Your child draws the face after the task or time is done. A smile means it went well, a straight mouth means so-so, a frown means it was hard.

The drawing is the conversation. You do not need stickers or rewards. The child looks at the circle and decides how it felt. That self-review is the real work of the chart.

You can use this chart tonight. Print it, put it on the fridge, and explain the three faces. Then let your child draw the first circle after dinner.

There is a longer guide on this: Is rewarding good behavior bribery?.

The daily smiley chart

The first printable has parts of the day down the side. Common ones are morning, breakfast, school, playtime, dinner, and bedtime. Across the top are empty circles, one for each day of the week. There is a blank name line at the top.

For a 3 to 6 year old, keep it simple. Pick three or four parts of the day. After each part, ask your child to draw the face. Do it right away, not later. The drawing is the review, and the review has to happen close to the moment.

Print at 100 percent, not fit to page. The boxes fit a 1.5 inch round sticker or a 1/2 inch star sticker if you want to add stickers later. But the faces work without them.

The weekly smiley chart

The second printable is for a 5 to 8 year old. Goals go down the side, like making the bed, doing homework, or helping with dishes. Each goal has a row of circles, one for each day of the week.

At the end of the week, count the smiles. That count is the review. The reward line at the bottom is for something you agree on together. It could be a special outing or a small treat. The reward is not the point, but it can help.

For older kids, let them set the goals. They will own the chart more. The Sunday count of smiles is a quiet moment to talk about the week.

What a frown means

A frown is information, not a punishment. It tells you that something was hard for your child. Do not erase it or scold it. Ask a simple question: what hapened? Then listen.

If a week has many frowns, the goal is wrong, not the child. Maybe the task is too big or the timing is off. Change the goal or break it into samller steps. The chart is a tool, not a report card.

Faces versus stickers

Faces beat stickers when you want self-review. A child who draws a frown has to think about why. A sticker only shows that an adult was happy. Faces also cost nothing and can be drawn on any paper or whiteboard.

Stickers beat faces for children under 3. A toddler understands a shiny star more than a drawn face. Stickers also feel like a treat, which can help start a new habit. For a middle ground, use smiley stickers. They give the same visual as a drawn face but with a sticker feel.

See our stickers page for the exact sizes that fit these charts. You can also browse all behavior charts or get reward ideas that do not involve stickers.