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The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

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For the Seven Oaks friends, there is always something to do. Whether they're singing along with Pokey Porcupine's harmonica or playing soccer with Jumper Rabbit, everyone is having fun and learning all sorts of things. These seven stories show how practicing the 7 Habits makes this possible for the whole Seven Oaks Community. From learning how to take charge of their own lives to discovering how balance is best, the Seven Oaks friends have tons of adventures and find out how each and every kid can be a happy kid!

94 pages, Audiobook

First published September 16, 2008

139 people are currently reading
2857 people want to read

About the author

Sean Covey

133 books539 followers
Sean Covey was the starting quarterback for Brigham Young University during the 1987 and 1988 seasons. He was benched due to an ankle sprain. Following his college football career wrote a book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. It is a book based on the principles of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which was written by his father, Stephen R. Covey, but directed towards the life of a teen. A more recent book he has written is The 6 Most Important Decisions You Will Ever Make. The book directs the six big choices teenagers will make in their teenage years. The six decisions are: School, Friends, Parents, Dating and Sex, Addictions, and Self Worth.

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5 stars
1,246 (54%)
4 stars
652 (28%)
3 stars
283 (12%)
2 stars
69 (3%)
1 star
49 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa.
750 reviews165 followers
March 14, 2015
What a great book for kids. Both my son (5) and my daughter (3) love the stories and the characters in this book. There are seven stories, each one with tons of beautiful and detailed illustrations, focusing on a different "habit". The first one was about boredom, and the story about how Sammy the Squirrel finds a way to fight being bored. He goes all over town looking for a friend to help him beat his boredom, but each one is already engaged in something. When he gets to the last friend, she's sick in bed. Her Gram tells Sammy that he's in charge of making his own fun. Sammy sees a broken radio and asks if he can take it home. At home he fixes the radio up and brings it back to his friend so she can listen to it while she's sick. She's so happy with the gift, and Sammy feels great from having done something for someone else. At the end of each story there are questions and activities and tips. It really helps the kids take each lesson to heart. There is also great sections in the book just for parents. There is so much to like about this book. It can be a storybook, or an activity book, or a manual for teaching children important lessons. I took this book out of the library, and I'm so sad to have to bring it back! I'm definitely putting it on the top of my book wish list. It's great.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
130 reviews29 followers
October 27, 2008
When I saw this book, I had to laugh.....another product trying to cash in on the success of the original (7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Except that I LOVE the original. So I bought it, expecting mediocre stories but an opportunity to discuss the 7 habits with my children.

To my surprise, the stories themselves are actually decent. On their own, I'd give them 3 stars. To rate the potential this book has to teach, though, I'd give it 5 stars. Each habit has a story that illustrates it, a little tidbit for parents to read, questions to discuss with your child, and several suggestions on how a CHILD can implement that habit. The suggestions are great; I wouldn't have thought of many of them on my own.

We've been focusing on a habit a week. We read the story Sunday, discuss it, talk about some of the suggestions my kids would like to try, and then work on it over the week. My husband and I try to make a big deal of it every time we see one of the kids coming through. I'm amazed! Already, my 8 and 5 year-olds are going out of their way to be proactive and plan things out and just plain take responsibility for themselves. Not only that, they liked the stories enough to sneak the book away and read all seven of them on the first day.

I think the original 7 Habits is right on the mark, so I'm thrilled to find an age appropriate way to share it with my children.
Profile Image for Jan.
1,885 reviews97 followers
December 5, 2010
Covey did a great job with this little book that is wonderful for kids (and wouldn't hurt several adults I know). The illustrations are great and the characters he's chosen to "tell" his stories all have special traits so that no child should be left out. My favorite was Jumper and the Lost Butterfly Net as I think listening is a lost skill. The Parents' Corner will aid those who are otherwise unable or too busy to find ways to change their child's behavior and this will get them on the right track. Most "help" books are written in such generalized terms that some parents are still left not knowing what to do. This will not only keep them on track but perhaps allow them to develop a good habit themselves. I think developing a poster of The 7 Habits Tree for sale would be an excellent reminder for kids to have displayed and the book is a great gift for any parent.
Profile Image for Summer.
1,614 reviews14 followers
March 30, 2018
The kids loved listening to this. And we have been able to reference it when something comes up pertaining to these habits.
Profile Image for Alexis DeJonge.
46 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2018
My son who is almost 8 loved it and gave me a chance to go over a few important life lessons.
Profile Image for Hannah Bremer.
35 reviews2 followers
September 17, 2022
Ter voorbereiding op ‘Zeven eigenschappen van effectief leiderschap’, die ik moet lezen voor mijn studie, las ik dit jeugdboek. Hetzelfde concept maar dan vertaald naar zeven verhalen voor kinderen. Zeven inspirerende gewoonten waar elk mens wat van kan leren!
Profile Image for Julie.
96 reviews
December 24, 2022
This book was not at all what I was expecting! The "habits" are taught using fun short stories with animals as the main characters. My kids groaned when I told them we were going to listen to this book, but they enjoyed it.
150 reviews1 follower
December 15, 2020
I learned that it's not always good to only read books - it's good for you to exercise and have peace.
Profile Image for Darcy Leech.
Author 1 book217 followers
January 10, 2016
Divided into cute, short stories, this is a wonderful way to start building the hidden skills of success in your child. The stories align with the 7 habits of Covey family fame, and each story comes with a parent corner with discussion questions and suggestions for 'baby' steps, or things kids can do in the real world to build good habits. I'll read this to my child for years to come. Yes, it is indoctrination and shaping, but it's in a lot better direction than a random show on television or whoever is at the top of the music charts.
34 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2010
This book was a stretch for me. It teaches kids valuable lessons about friendship, happiness and more, but I prefer my kids learning these lessons through examples in classic stories. I don't think kids would fall in love with the characters in this book and I don't think they would remember the lessons taught
Profile Image for Charity.
51 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2017
My kids love this book and it's examples. Great for elementary age, which can lead to excellent conversations about integrity, character and more.
Profile Image for Carrie Johnson.
41 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2023
We listened to audio of this as we looked thru the picture book and then I was able to stop it and discuss the questions/ideas the author provides in the book for each of the 7 habits!! I think the storyline of characters was a bit young for my oldest boys ages 12 & 10 but there was still good practical examples given in the text and we still had a good discussion of the habits. 👍🏻
Profile Image for Ghadeer Esmat.
1 review
August 2, 2018
كتاب ممتع ومختصر
يلخص سبع عادات ينبغي للاطفال التحلي بيها ، يذكرها علي شكل قصه ثم يبين بعد ذلك مغزي القصه للاباء ، و يذكر بعض اسئله عليها كنشاط للاطفال 🖍
احب طفليّ الرسومات كثيرا و خاصه طفلي ذات الثلاث سنوات كان هو من يحضره كل مره ، استمتعت شخصيا بمحتوي القصص و شخصيات الكتاب🖇🖇
Profile Image for Betsy.
535 reviews
June 24, 2023
When borrowing this book from the library, I thought it was going to be a book for parents about the habits of happy kids. Instead, this book was the 7 Habits Book watered down to a level kids could understand. Not a bad concept, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
146 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2019
Love all the habits that this book stands for, so I’m passing this along to my sister-in-law so she can try this with my nephews. We’ll see how it goes!
Profile Image for Daniel Yao.
124 reviews
March 12, 2024
This one ateeee. My mom would read this to me. This book was my school basically
Profile Image for Kinnley Davis.
40 reviews
September 26, 2021
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids is a collection of stories that promote good habits for children. Each story shares a message that will help the child to be efficient and productive both in and out of school. In the book there are 7 characters that shares a story and good life lesson. My favorite story was Bears hard work ethic and preplanning so he could spend his money wisely. Teaching kids good habits while they are young will help them not only in life, but as being better student/friend in the classroom. After each story, the author includes helpful tips and guidance questions to share with the readers. A great book for students of all ages!
Profile Image for Becky B.
9,330 reviews183 followers
January 24, 2018
The son of Stephen R. Covey adapts his father's 7 Habits into stories starring animals that live in an imaginary place called 7 Oaks. After each story is a guide for adults in talking with kids about this habit, some suggested ways to start practicing, and discussion starting questions.

This would be a great book for bedtime with kids or storytime in lower elementary. The stories present these important life skills like planning ahead, doing something instead of complaining, and prioritizing into situations kids can grasp. The parent guides would be helpful for sparking family meeting discussions or class discussions at school and providing common vocabulary that can be pulled out to encourage each other when the complaining or procrastinating or whatever sneaks back in. But best of all, the stories are entertaining enough kids will probably want to read this for fun too.
Profile Image for Janene.
591 reviews9 followers
December 29, 2020
This is the kid-sized portion of Stephen Covey's seven habits. My kids love it, I find it a great guidepost book to check out every now and again. It reminds them of what they've learned both at school through "Leader in Me," and (hopefully) at home from their somewhat-effective parents! :) I've found it to be a great resource for teaching some of the important stuff at home!
Profile Image for Kara Pfeffer.
3 reviews7 followers
August 12, 2015
Great Book! Wish I would have started it when Fisher was 2! It is a bit "young" looking for him and he's a little embarrassed to read it as it looks like a baby book, but he pays attention, knows exactly whats going on and remembers the habits :)
Profile Image for Kamal.
5 reviews4 followers
July 23, 2014
كتاب مفيدة وهو مختصر لكتاب العادات ال٧
ويتكلم عن العادة الأولي علي شكل قصه تناسب الاطفال
Profile Image for Berls.
1,027 reviews43 followers
August 6, 2017
What a great way to teach kids basic principles for how to behave and think! I'll definitely be incorporating this into my classroom this year.
32 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2024
Cute principles based on the principles of the 7 Habits. My son is young right now, but I’d like to try listening to them and discussing the stories/principles.
Profile Image for D'ale lui Damian.
1,024 reviews25 followers
July 21, 2022
#cărțipentrucopii
#CarteMotivatională
#DezvoltarePersonală
#recomandare
#vârsta4-8 ani

Le citiți cărți de dezvoltate personală sau cărți motivaționale copiilor? Nici eu nu îi citeam, cred că este a doua sau a treia carte din acestă categorie, dar acum o să le acord o mai mare atenție.

Este o carte superbă , cu 7 povești minunate, de aceea am decis ca Damian să le povestească pe rând. Prima poveste, la fel ca și restul poveștilor, are la sfârșitului ei o pagină dedicată "colțul părinților " unde autorul ne povestește experiența proprie în legătură cu tema poveștii, plus alte 2 rubrici, una se numește "De discutat"- întrebari din poveste si cealaltă "Pași mărunți "-sugestii de făcut ( am atașat foto)

Vă invit în satul 7 stejari, unde o să descoperim împreună ce locuitori minunați are, adică :ursul Gub, iepurele Topăilă, sconcsița Lili, veveritele Sami și Sofia, porcușorul Ghimpi, soricica Ali Vin-si-eu și nu în ultimul rând, mult căutatul viermisorul Ernie, și fiecare pe rând ne v-a prezenta o importantă lecție.

În prima poveste veveritul Sami este extrem de plictisit,așa că se gândește să se ducă la prieteni și să-i roage pe rând să-i ofere o soluție de a scăpa de plictiseală. Din păcate sora lui nu era acasă, nici mama nu i-a sugerat ceva distractiv, nici Ghimpi, Lili, Gub sau Țopăilă.Cea care i-a schimbat perspectiva a fost bunica lui Ali-vin-si-eu:

✍️ " Nimeni nu mă ajută să mă distrez, s-a plâns Sami. Sunt atât de plicitisit.
-Păi, asta nu e vina ta? A întrebat bunica lui Ali. Tu hotărăști cum te distrezi, nu altcineva.
....
Vreau să spun că îți poți face propria distracție. Nu ai nevoie de altcineva pentru asta. ".

Urmând sfatul bunicii a început să facă exact ce-i place lui mai mult, anume să repare lucruri. Iar după ce a reparat radioul stricat, i l-a oferit lui Ali pentru a îi fi recuperarea mai ușoară.

Noi decidem ce ne face fericiți, ce putem face pentru a înlătură plicitiseala, ce să facem pentru a ne distra etc, noi ne alegem prietenii, noi decidem dacă ne jucăm sau nu, cu ce să ne jucăm etc ..eu am discutat mai pe larg cu Damian acest subiect.

Lecția 1-Fii proactiv. Cu alte cuvinte, preia controlul asupra propriei vieți.

https://youtu.be/_EFeL4MapV0
Profile Image for Jeanie Cullip.
202 reviews
December 27, 2018
Today, I read The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey. The school in which I will be completing my student teaching in is a Leader in Me School. I have begun reading both The 7 Habits of Effective People (again) and Leader in Me. These were gifted me when I visited my fifth-grade teacher team before Christmas Break. 

The book is a combination of seven stories, each one highlighting an example of the seven habits used in Stephen & Sean Covey's books. I like how the characters are relatable to primary grade children so that they are able to understand what it is like to have this principle in their life.

Bored! Bored! Bored!: Habit #1 Be proactive

Goob and the bug-collecting kit: Habit #2 Begin with the end in mind

Pokey and the spelling test: Habit #3 Put first things first

Lily plants a garden: Habit #4 Think win-win

Jumper and the lost butterfly net: Habit #5 Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Big bad badgers: Habit #6 Synergize

Sleepy Sophie: Habit #7 Sharpen the saw

I was able to listen to the entire book in less than an hour, it would be easy to share one story at a time based on the habit in which you are teaching. The audible book was read by Sean Covey and included his children in the recording as well. 

I have a rating system I use for those books I have read and reviewed on my blog, you may check it out here. I have given this book five cups, I love this book a latte!
Profile Image for Nela.
32 reviews
May 27, 2025
I first came across The 7 Habits of Happy Kids when my mom picked up a copy at a thrift store. I’d never heard of it before, but I was curious and asked to borrow it. After reading it, I loved it so much that I decided to get my own copy—for my future kids someday.

Honestly, I wish I had this book growing up. It’s simple, yet so impactful. I really believe it would’ve helped me grow in so many ways. I’m currently working through the adult version (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), and while that book is deep and sometimes a lot to take in, reading the kids’ version alongside it adds so much more. It helps me understand the principles on a more practical and emotional level.

The whole idea of having “habits” for happiness and healthy growth—whether for kids or adults—is such a powerful concept. This book breaks it down in a way that’s relatable and easy to understand, with stories that even adults can learn from. It’s not just a children’s book; it’s a valuable life tool.

I highly recommend getting a copy—not just for your kids or future kids, but for yourself too. It’s one of those rare books that can touch hearts at any age. Honestly, part of me wants to give this book to people who don’t love reading, or even those who struggle with reading, because it communicates something truly important in a way that’s so accessible.

It’s so good. So worth it. Keep it nearby—your heart will thank you.
Profile Image for Melissa.
31 reviews2 followers
February 27, 2019
I borrowed this book from the library on audiobook, and it just wasn't as good without the text, pictures, or supplementals that it references. It is not a good audiobook, but it might be fine for a paper book. The reader is fine, but you miss out on the extras, and what you miss is obvious and constant. Also, thins is not a book for parents to read to figure out how to help their kids with the 7 habits. This is a book to read to kids so they can discuss the 7 habits. As an audiobook, though, the habits are not made obvious to each story, and I missed any discussion questions I might have been able to glean from supplemental materials. In short, get a different version of this book if you plan to read it.
200 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2017
This is great! My oldest is reading the one for teens, I'm reading the one for adults & I read this to all of my kids. It was fun talking about the habits & where we are in each of our books. The principles are easy to understand & remember. This is one to go back to again & again. I will be posting these to remind us all. I have been able to refer to them in guiding my kids lately & it's so nice to have little one-liner reminders for them rather than feeling like I'm nagging them constantly. They feel more in charge knowing the habits themselves. Highly recommend for all ages, but would say it's geared for 4-10 year olds or so.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
Author 10 books7 followers
April 27, 2021
Are you looking for fun stories and those that also give life skills to your children?

This is one book that my childten keep coming back to over and over. Even as teenagers it becomes a once a year read for them.

Created by Sean Covey, Stephen Covey's son, this book takes the adult 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and creates the easy and fun to read stories of each habit.

My children loved the illustrations at preschoolers, laughed at the relatable school-aged interactions, and have some concept of how each lesson applies. Imperfectly.

I love it on an adult level as it makes the lessons in the adult version fun for me to read too.

#writeadreamlife #raisingreaders #bookreview #childrensbooks #schoolagedchildrenbooks #7habits #childrenlovereading #booksbooksandmorebooks books that teach kids life skills in such an easy to understand way. My kids love the stories and this particular book is read over and over. I also enjoy the simplicity of the message and fact that you understand why and as adults, we can also apply it to ourselves. :)
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