The 7 Habits

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

Hidden Forest is committed to empowering our students to be leaders today. For that reason we implement the ideas and language ofThe 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey. We want everyone in our community to be aware of the core concepts we will be sharing with the children.

Habit 1:  BE PROACTIVE
The focus of this skill is to be prepared.  Students anticipate what might happen and prepare for it.  Being proactive now can help students avoid sticky situations later.

Habit 2:  BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
            It is important to set goals and to develop a path to that goal.   When students begin with the end in mind, they have a clearer picture of what they need to do to make something happen.

Habit 3:  PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST
            Work before play.  This skill focuses on teaching the students to get the work done that they are committed to before spending time on other things that are not as important.

Habit 4:  THINK WIN-WIN
Students learn to make things work for all parties involved in a discussion.  This can be done through compromise, turn-taking, or debate.  The question is “How can we make this work for everybody?”

Habit 5:  SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD
            Listening is a powerful skill that many of us need to improve.  With this habit, students learn to not only listen to what others are saying, but to put themselves in the other person’s shoes.

Habit 6:  SYNERGIZE
          Working as a team is the focus of this habit.  Students practice playing to their strengths so that they can be a contributing member of a group.  In addition, this skill teaches how much can be accomplished when people band together rather than work apart.

HABIT 7:  SHARPEN THE SAW
It is important for people to take care of themselves.  Children learn that sharpening the saw includes a number of habits:  eating healthy food, exercise, taking time for themselves, and playing with others are great ways for everyone to “sharpen the saw.”