For over 13 years, we’ve been helping families build positive mental wellbeing with the free Smiling Mind App. It’s a versatile and accessible resource always on hand for in the moment support, calming young minds, working through big emotions, preparing for sleep and learning to build the skills to navigate life's ups and downs.
Starting school can bring big emotions for the whole family. Our new Back to School collection is here to help families feel calm and confident with evidence-based, accessible tools to navigate change, manage worry, open up conversations about feelings, and create healthy routines that fit seamlessly into busy family life.
Parents and carers play a vital role in raising resilient families. Smiling Mind's Resilient Kids pilot program offers evidence-based, practical strategies to build mental fitness skills through age-appropriate activities about emotions, relationships, flexible thinking and self-worth. The program includes activities designed for kids, parents, and practices you can do together as a family - giving you flexible ways to build resilience that fit into your life.
Mental fitness doesn’t have to be another thing to add to your to-do list. With the Smiling Mind App, families can use short, age-appropriate sessions to navigate busy mornings, transitions after school, or bedtime routines. Try practising mental fitness in everyday family moments:
In the morning, to enhance focus and calm
On the go, to make travel a mindful and enjoyable experience
After the school day, to unwind and relax
At meal times, to create a calm dinner table environment
Before bed, to fall asleep—and stay asleep
During weekends, to foster family connection and boost everyone's mood
Every session is designed to help kids establish new habits and foster positive mental wellbeing and resilience.
The Smiling Mind App is designed to help everyone - including kids - build mental fitness focusing on five core skill sets: mindfulness, flexible thinking, connection, purpose, and recharging the body (including sleep). To find content designed specifically for kids, you can filter by age in your app settings, or use the search bar to find sessions based on what your child needs in the moment. Try searching for words like 'worry', 'calm' or 'sleep' to discover relevant sessions. All child-specific content is colour-coded in yellow to make it easy to spot.
Try these recommended sessions:
Muscle relaxation time: A new meditation to help little bodies release tension, wind down and get ready for a good sleep.
Everybody worries: A new lesson to help kids understand why worries pop up, and how to shake them off!
Our 2024 State of Mind report found that regular mental fitness practice improves wellbeing for both children and parents. Try these tips using the Smiling Mind App to improve wellbeing for both children and parents, and show up at your best.
Smiling Mind have been advocating for more adequate focus and funding to address the growing crisis in our kids' mental health and wellbeing. The Our Kids Count campaign calls for a national blueprint to fix the mental health system in Australia, starting with prevention and early intervention. It’s time to prioritise the needs and rights of children and give a voice to our youngest generations. Sign our open letter to join us as we campaign for a healthy future for our kids.
Practical tips to support children’s mental wellbeing and build better screen habits - without the daily battles.
As your child starts primary school they enter a whole new world of social connections, structure and learning.
As a GP I see lots of children and their families; it’s not uncommon for me to prescribe practical strategies to implement at home in an attempt to look after everyone’s mental wellbeing.
