Creating Happy Kids

I’m starting a new series here on Love and Laundry called “Creating Happy Kids”. I’m so excited to share it with you! First….a little bit of back story.

Have I told you all that my husband is an Elementary School Counselor? He is. And he’s a dang good one, too. Actually, he’s working on his administrative degree right now, so hopefully in the not too distant future, he’ll be a principal. School is starting soon, and we’re all getting ready. My husband is going to a new school this year. New to him, anyway. In his new school, they are rolling out a brand new program called The Leader in Me. It’s based on Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Have you heard of The 7 Habits? I think almost everyone has. The first time I heard of The 7 Habits was when I was a Freshman in High School.  I was so sad when Stephen Covey passed away last month. He was a man that has greatly influenced a generation for so much good.

The Leader in Me is basically a school curriculum that creates an environment of leadership and responsibility at the school. My husband got to tour several schools on one of his trainings and he couldn’t believe how different the school environment was from a traditional school. The kids were so respectful and helpful. Plus, the schools have increased their academic scores and have seen a decrease in disciplinary problems.

The book asserts that for children today to grow up to be leaders, they need to not only know academics, they need to know how to work with and be kind to others, have integrity, be responsible and have a good work ethic. I don’t know about you, but I hope I’m instilling these qualities in my children.

Sean Covey (Stephen Covey’s son) wrote an awesome book called The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. My husband also brought it home from one of his Leader in Me trainings.

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids is an illustrated book that explains all 7 habits in a kid friendly way. Here’s the first chapter. Does the chapter title sound familiar in your house? I know my kids come to me complaining of boredom quite a bit.

Each chapter highlights one of the 7 habits. Bored! Bored! Bored! is about being Proactive. The story teaches children that they are in charge of their own fun or boredom (or happiness/unhappiness, etc.).

And the coolest part of the book? At the end of each chapter there is a Parent’s Corner with information on how to implement each habit into your home.

I completely fell in love with the book when my husband brought it home. I was ready to take it on as a family! I quickly realized that the beginning of summer was probably not the best time to introduce my kids to new habits. So, we decided to wait until school started in the fall.  I’ve been patiently waiting all summer long. Our kids haven’t “officially” started school yet, but they will be at the beginning of September.

Here’s what I’m getting at with this post…starting on the first Friday in September (the 7th), I’m going to have a “Creating Happy Kids” series. On the first Friday of every month, I’ll spotlight one of the habits and how our family is implementing it in our home and with our kids. To make sure that each habit sticks, I want to focus on only one habit for a whole month before we move on to the next.  I’m going to make a printable poster (to share with you!) that I can display where our kids will see it often. Plus, I’ll show you the activities we’re doing to help the new principle become a habit.

If you want to follow along with our family, I would love that! If you want the book to read along with us, you can get it on Amazon for under $15.

If you want to follow along without the book, that’s okay too! I’m so excited for this series! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have been enjoying planning it!

I’m linking this post up to these parties.

InLinkz