May-Leadership

Core Bobcat Value: LEADERSHIP

Some children want to become the President of the United States, but not all children want to be traditional leaders. Leaders face certain pressures, from being in charge to speaking in public.  

With that said, ALL kids can benefit from learning leadership skills, which are transferable across many areas of growth and development.

Additionally, while not all young people aspire to be leaders, they may excel in certain aspects of leadership. For example, a student may be great at making others feel included in a group project or developing a plan to get it done on time.

Read More: Boys & Girls Club of America

Are Leaders Born or Made?

There is some debate whether some children are "born leaders" or they "learn to be" leaders. All children have the potential to develop leadership skills. Leadership development can be a lifelong process. As adults, we can teach the skills necessary for children to take on leadership roles now and in the future. Here are some ways that you can help children develop leadership skills:

• Model leadership behavior to children. Children learn from seeing what others do. Tell the child what you are doing and why you are doing it.
• Teach children how to see things from another's point of view. Good communication is a key component to being an effective leader. Teach children how to listen carefully and how to respond to others in a calm and respectful way.
• Help children build self-confidence. Give children opportunities to do a good job and offer praise when appropriate. You might say, "I am so proud of you that you volunteered to be the leader of the 'toy clean up' team in your classroom. It is a big job to make sure all your classmates are doing their part."
• Find ways to create problem solving situations. Children can learn how to solve their own problems. Allow children to start making small decisions such as which activity they want to participate in and then give them more opportunities to make decisions as they learn the concepts of responsibility and consequences of making a decision.
• Give children the opportunity to take leadership roles in the
  classroom. Create leadership situations in the form of classroom jobs.Children can lead by becoming the classroom "greeter", "paper/supply
  manager", "line leader," or "attendance taker". Teachers should inform
  children of the responsibilities of each classroom job and guide them as they take on that leadership role. Children should have the opportunity to try various leadership jobs within the classroom.
• Teach children how to work with others in a team situation. Group projects or sports activities are ways for children to work on a team.
• Assist children to develop a plan or strategy to address a problem or situation. Children, as well as adults, shy away from leadership tasks because they feel overwhelmed. Show children how to break tasks into workable ways to get the job done.
• Encourage children to pursue things that interest them. They may develop a passion for it and feel comfortable and later take on a leadership role.
• Encourage parents to look for leadership opportunities for children. Leadership opportunities can be in your child care program or another program at a school, church, community or club. Children can also take a leadership role in a family event.
• Encourage communication and action. Leadership involves speaking up or taking action. You can encourage children's leadership abilities by suggesting projects or identifying problems that may be important to them and helping them to come up with suggestions for actions and possible solutions.

Examples:

• During the holiday season, many organizations hold canned food or coat drives. Ask children in your care to think about what they would like to do to help. Have them choose another group to work with, such as the local elementary school, and decide how they would like to help.
• Some children might become concerned about a little puppy or other another animal in a story you are reading. They wonder what can be done to help animals. Ask them for ideas about what they would do for the puppy if they were in the story. The teacher can write down or have the children draw pictures of their ideas and have a discussion about caring for animals.

Read More: Better Kid Care by PennState