A Recap on Preparing a Child for Leadership

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We are continuing to look at preparing children for future leadership. In our last article, we discussed what leadership is, what traits make for a good leader, and what factors to consider when thinking of preparing children for leadership.

We also noted that children’s behaviour and worldview is shaped by the environment they are brought up in. Since children are generally observant, we pointed out that the primary way they learn behaviour is through imitation.

Once children can observe good leadership, then teaching and developing the necessary skills becomes the next step. We touched on the fact that children develop at different paces As a result, there are certain abilities that need to be in place in order for one to succeed at teaching leadership in children.

Backdrop for Teaching Leadership Skills 

We shall now delve into different qualities that are key in shaping a quality leader. It is important to note that because children’s development affects how swiftly they learn and adopt these traits into their own lives, patience is required.

It is equally important to understand that leadership skills improve and become better over the course of a lifetime. There is no fixed point at which one can say that a particular individual has reached the apex of leadership. There is always more to learn.

In order to teach these skills, one must create practical activities and scenarios in order for the skill to not only be demonstrated and elaborated upon by the teacher, but also for the child to experience the skill for themselves.

It is possible to understand, through observation, what a child is thinking or feeling about certain people or circumstances. Once a child’s position is known, conversations as well as practical advice can be administered. As well, opportunities to practise what is being taught can be pointed out to the child.

The leadership skills we shall look into are respect, teamwork, communication skills, problem solving skills, perseverance, patience, generosity, volunteering, and self-regulation. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a place to start.

Our next article will address these traits in a little more detail. We look forward to having you on board!