How to Involve Children in Leadership Roles

Involving children in leadership roles is a great way to encourage their ability to lead a team and take responsibility for it at such a young age. This type of skill takes a bit of time and practice to develop. You can help your child perform a better job as a leader by exposing them to an environment wherein they can take the lead.
Assign Them Tasks
Before one can become a leader, they must learn how to follow first. You must therefore assign your child tasks that require them to do something. You can start out with a simple task first and evaluate how well they have performed in it. Focus on tasks that promote a variety of skills. If you have a major task for them to do, break that down into smaller tasks that are easier to achieve.
Focus on enabling them to adapt a variety of skills through the task, such as team work, communication, and working on relationships. All of these are vital to turning one into a leader.
Get Them To Lead an Activity
Once they have learned what it takes to be a follower, you can assign them the opportunity to take on a leadership role. Make sure to start with small such as letting them plan a game or fun activity with other kids. You can also focus on specific tasks that are easier for them to handle, such as teaching younger siblings on a specific subject, or planning a fun activity. Focus on allowing them to share their skills and knowledge by breaking down steps to a larger goal.
Get Them Involved in Event Planning
If you are not too confident about allowing your child to take over planning or leading of an activity, why not get them involved in yours? Practical application is indeed the best teacher. A good idea is to assign them smaller tasks in an event planning, which also benefits you as you can get an extra pair of hands. One example would be to help them in planning the party for their birthday celebration. If you can get them involved, they would appreciate the celebration even more knowing that they took part in putting it together.
Identify What Leadership Roles Fit For Them
Being a leader does not mean that you can take on literally any task that you are assigned with. You need to think about this when training your children in leadership roles. It can stretch their abilities and could put on too much pressure on them. Learn how to identify specific skills that they have and look at how you can utilize that in leadership roles to nourish their ability to lead others. If their leadership role requires a skill that they already have, leading others will naturally follow.
Encourage Participation in School Clubs or Groups
The best training ground for children to become a leader is at school by joining groups and clubs. Allow your child to choose a group to join depending on their particular area of interest. Then, encourage them to showcase their skills and knowledge to be awarded with leadership position. Children in leadership roles at school are more likely to succeed soon after they leave school because of their unique ability to utilize the skills they have to benefit a group.
Sport and recreational activities can be a great way to teach your child leadership skills. If they enjoy leadership, sporting activities and games can provide roles and positions they can inspire to, work towards and/or be elected into. These positions may include team captain, team manager, coach or assistant coach.(Janelle Farley)