- The 7 Habits of Happy Kids Game from Educational Insights
- We recommend this product for ages 6 and up
What It Is
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids Game is based on The 7 Habits of Happy Kids book by Sean Covey. The object of the game is to fill your 7 Habits token holder with a token for each habit, while, as the instructions say, "you learn, practice, and share the seven habits of happy kids." To play, roll the die and move your character piece around the board, answering questions, drawing, singing, or acting out things. For example, one of the habit three cards tells kids to "act out something you could do to help at home before you have a friend over to play". There are certain spaces on the board that let kids collect a free token (Ernie space), trade tokens with a player of their choice (Trade space), and give away one of their tokens to another player (Give Away space). The first player to fill their token holder with one token for each habit wins.
Is It Fun?
We have no doubt that these are good habits for kids to develop. But even with the simplification of concepts from the adult 7 Habits series, these are tough for kids to grasp at age 6. For example, habit number three, which is "Put first things first", has been simplified to "Work first, then play." We're not sure that's accurate or relevant; kids need to play, too.
And some of the actions kids must act out aren't really that fun (see the example in the What It Is section above). Good games are those that are shaped by the interactions of the players and the change depending on who is playing. This game imposes a point of view and requires a specific set of behaviors and attitudes from kids in order to be successful at the game. Kids who don't play this in the context of a home where these concepts are taught are likely to be lost or bored.
Even then, does a kid really want to be punished on a turn for bad manners by giving away a token to "the player who eats vegetables the most"? This game seems to violate its first habit: "Be proactive. You're in charge." Not so here. The author of the game is controlling it all, and there is no real room for kids just to play or be themselves. Every action and even feelings are dictated to them. Kids have enough dictated to them in their lives. Play should be a chance to take a break from that.
That said, this is clearly a game developed by people who care about kids and who understand that certain habits developed early can be positive in a child's development. But while they might be good for parents to teach and model, they don't make a very engaging game.
Who It’s For
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids Game is for ages 6 and up.
What To Be Aware Of
The game's instructions aren't very clear, and we had to wait until we were playing to figure out where the included rabbit ears fit in.