The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey

It’s been ages since I last sat down and read a book. I do miss reading that is why whenever I get the chance to read, I really make sure that the book is something that I would surely enjoy. Today, I was able to squeeze in some reading time because I happened to see my Grade 2 student reading this particular book. I am a great fan of children’s books as I used to teach in Pre-school before as well as self-help/inspirational books as I have always been fascinated with psychology.  So whenever I see a book that fits both pegs perfectly, I wouldn’t stop until I read that book.  I literally cajoled and begged my Grade 2 student to let me borrow her book, and she reluctantly obliged after I promised her a hundred times that I will return it back tom.:)

The book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, is a children’s book that teaches the kids the timeless values and principles written in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Penned by Sean Covey, son of Stephen Covey himself, author of the highly acclaimed book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the book contains amusing stories that children 3 years onwards can easily relate to. The stories present the 7 habits that we should help instill in our children for them to reach their full potential and live a well balanced life.

The stories are all well-written, Sean Covey wrote them with so much warmth that children and parents alike can easily relate to them. The illustrations by cartoonist Stacy Curtis are endearingly eye-catching, they made reading the book a pleasurable experience indeed. At the end of each story, guide questions and tips on how to discuss and reinforce the habit are provided, making it easy for parents to relate the habits to their children’s lives for proper application.

I’ve jotted down some notes (remember I just borrowed the book from a 7 years old, I have to give it back!) and I would like to share them with you.  I promised myself that I will buy my own copy so I can hand it down to my daughter when it’s her turn to raise her own kids. Here are the 7 habits in a nutshell:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive (You’re In Charge).  Teach your children to take charge of  their life–of their own happiness, studies, acivities etc.)
• Habit 2: Begin With An End In Mind (Have a Plan). Instill in them the habit of having a plan. Teach them that planning ahead leads to good things, including being in a better  position to help others. Encourage them to pick one thing they need to do better and start doing it.
• Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play).  As parents we must have to learn to delay gratification and encourage our children to do the hard things first. “Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do.”
• Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Everyone Can Win).
• Habit 5:  Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood (Listen Before You Talk)
• Habit 6:  Synergize (Together is Better). We must teach our children synergy, that is valuing differences and then working together to create a better solution than what anyone could do alone. We must teach them to acknowledge each and everyone’s unique’s strength and began playing as a team.
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Balance Feels Best). We must teach our children to take time to renew the 4 parts of who we are: body, heart, mind, and soul in order to find balance in our life.

Funny thing is while I was reading the book, I realized that I might as well instill these habits myself as these are habits that can make us adults live a happy life as well.

Tagged as: Sean Covey, Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

Article by Blanca

I am a young widow trying to make sense of things. This little space is a testimony of how I struggle and try to embrace life after the death of my husband. This serves as the notepad of my thoughts, the blackboard of my opinion, the album of my everyday going ons, and the post-its of my "to-do"s in the future. As I try to fill these blanc notes with my personal take on things, you are welcome to poke around.

has written 261 awesome articles for us at blancnotes

| Google+