Sun, 21 Nov, 2021
How to Develop Leadership Skills in Kids: 14 Effective Ways
Leaders come from various backgrounds. You will see some leaders being calm and composed, while some are intimidating and fierce.
Every child has the potential to become a leader. While leadership skills come naturally to some kids, some might have to work on building them.
As parents, you have the power to influence your child and prepare them for a better tomorrow. You can help them grow into a great leader by working together and honing their skills. If you were wondering how to develop leadership skills in your kids, we have compiled a list of 14 effective ways to take the initiative to make your child a better leader.
14 Ways of Teaching Leadership Skills to Your Kids
1. Volunteering together
Volunteering teaches your kid some of the most important leadership skills like:
Without proper planning, reaching a goal is not possible. With volunteering, your child learns how to plan various projects like distributing meals or clothes to shelters and creating a step-by-step guide to plan and achieve every organizational goal.
Working in groups while volunteering will be a combination of sharing different ideas and compromising with other people to achieve the goal.
Managing all operations of a project teaches your child to learn the best processes of a project.
These leadership skills will help your kids flourish in their personal and professional lives, hence volunteer with your child.
2. Develop their communication skills
Communication is the key to great leadership and the foundation of relationships. Develop this leadership skill in your child by teaching them to say what they mean to say. Nurturing this skill will give your child the ability to build relationships with others and inspire others.
Enhance communication skills for kids by letting them take the lead. For example, when you go for dinner, are you the one ordering from the menu? Allow your child to order for themself. This encourages them to speak up, gain confidence, and boost their leadership skills.
3. Encourage them to celebrate their individuality
Remember, your child is not you. They have a separate identity and are unique individuals. Supporting their dreams and passion will help them develop into influential leaders.
Letting them blaze their trail will create confidence in them which is a cornerstone of outstanding leadership. You can let your kids celebrate their uniqueness by encouraging them to pursue their dreams and help them grow into amazing human beings with fantastic leadership skills.
4. Encourage entrepreneurship
With their curious, ambitious, and enthusiastic minds, kids are natural entrepreneurs. But as they grow up, their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur gets exchanged for steady high-paying jobs.
The entrepreneurial life isn’t about running a successful company, but indeed it is about preserving the natural curiosity, ambition, and enthusiasm your child holds. For making your child a great leader, you need to teach them how to express their ideas.
You need to utilize your child's qualities by supporting their small business ideas and helping them prepare a sales pitch.
5. Surround them with leaders
Ensure that your child knows people who are leading the path, achieving great things in the world, impacting others’ lives, and striving to make a difference. This will inspire your child to become a great leader in the future.
6. Teach project planning skills
You will never see a great leader follow plans made by others, but rather take charge of creating their own plans.
As parents, you might feel the need to shelter your child and avoid burdening them with responsibilities. This will only lead them to grow up and become irresponsible adults unequipped to take charge of their lives.
Let your child hone their planning skills. You can do this by including them in the planning processes of various family events and vacations.
7. Encourage them to listen
Apart from creating their own path, a good leader always listens. This makes it necessary to develop listening skills for kids.
8. Promote positive mentality
A leader is expected to find solutions to any kind of problems thrown at them. So, encourage your child to be a “how can I?” rather than an “I can’t do this” type of person. This will boost their self-esteem, and they will aim for bigger goals.
9. More perseverance
Leaders possess the ability to handle failures as gracefully as they can handle success. Encouraging perseverance in your kids will help them become great leaders in the future.
10. Teach negotiation skills
Compromising is one of the most demanding leadership skills your kid should possess. When your child is asked to work in a team, different ideas clash. A good leader knows when to negotiate.
You can help your kids hone their negotiation skills. Instead of answering your child with a yes or no, make an offer and tell them to convince you with solid points.
11. Integrity and accountability
A successful leader is one who can build up others while building himself. He always possesses the quality of integrity and accountability.
Teach your kids that they can develop leadership skills when they hold a good character.
12. Develop teamwork
Great teamwork makes any dream work. Kids’ leadership skills will elevate only when they have the patience and ability to work in a team.
Working in teams will help your child cooperate with others, listen to others’ points of view, support their teammates, work towards a common goal, communicate efficiently, and effectively do their part of the work.
13. Foster their decision-making ability
A great leader can decide what is best for himself.
Before your child gets overwhelmed with different choices thrown at him, teach them how to make decisions based on the practicalities of the situation.
14. Encourage reading
Healthy reading habits for kids raise several benefits. It opens your child’s mind to new visions and possibilities, expanding their knowledge of the world.
When your child reads motivational books or biographies on motivational leaders, it will inspire them and push them to become better.
You can encourage your child to become a better leader by inculcating these effective ways into their daily routine. In addition to these, PlanetSpark will aid your child in becoming a better leader.
Your child will develop leadership skills through our interactive virtual classes on public speaking, creative writing, spoken English, critical and creative thinking, and many more. Enroll your child now and prepare him to be a better leader for the future!