Fun leadership activities for kids to build 5 essential skills

Where does leadership rank when you think of key skills you want your kids to develop? While you might not consider your child a future CEO or Secretary of State, learning leadership skills helps kids exude confidence and collaborate with others. For example, if your child leads their soccer team or is in charge of a school project, good leadership skills can help them successfully take the initiative to get everyone on board and working toward the same goal. You can foster these skills by introducing these leadership activities for kids into their schedules.

How do kids learn leadership, and what skills do they need?

Not all successful leaders are born that way. Sure, some kids show leadership potential through a knack for conversation or a penchant for solving problems. But true leaders develop a combination of skills over their lifetime, starting in childhood.

You can foster your child's leadership ability by helping them develop five essential skills and qualities: critical thinking, communication, responsibility, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. 

Focusing on these five can help kids become genuinely effective leaders — a trait that can benefit them for life. Help your kids boost their abilities through fun leadership exercises. Some of these ideas are so fun they might not even know they’re learning.

5 essential leadership skills and fun activities to build them

Here's a look at each essential leadership trait and a few fun exercises you can try to elevate your child's capabilities.

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1. Activities to develop critical thinking

Critical thinking involves making connections between different ideas to see the bigger picture. Kids with strong critical thinking skills can quickly evaluate information and form logical conclusions. It may also make it easier to express their opinions.

You can help your child develop critical thinking skills with these activities:

• Play board games, especially ones that involve strategy.

• Do a science experiment.

• Give your child a topic and time to research it, then start a debate.

• Read a book together and talk about the characters and the plot.

• Try a game of Sudoku.

• Ask your child to write a short story.

• Put a puzzle together. 

2. Games to sharpen their communication skills

Good social skills form the backbone of effective leadership. When kids communicate well, they can express themselves so others understand and empathize. Effective communication is more than talking. It also involves writing, active listening skills, and non-verbal communication, like eye contact and facial expressions.

Here are a few easy activities you can introduce to build interpersonal skills:

• Show and tell: Ask your child to talk about their favorite toy, a good memory, or a family pet.

• Picture-telling: Find an interesting picture and ask your child to describe what it depicts.

• Conversation starter: Ask a thought-provoking question, like what they want to be when they grow up. Then, let them tell you what they envision for their future. Keep the conversation going with follow-up questions related to their answer.

• Scavenger hunt: Set up a scavenger hunt for your child and a few of their friends. Let them find different items using clues you provide and encourage them to ask questions.

As your child's communication skills improve, they may feel more confident sharing their thoughts and ideas.

3. Activities to encourage responsibility

Responsible kids understand your expectations and try their best to meet them. They do their chores when asked and take the initiative to complete their homework without extra urging from you. Responsibility can also mean admitting their mistakes and accepting the consequences of their actions.

While you probably can’t expect your child to act responsibly all the time,  you can instill the fundamentals of responsibility with a few leadership tasks.

• If you have a family pet, put your child in charge of its basic needs, like daily feeding, replenishing water, or playing.

• Ask your child to help you care for a younger sibling.

• Help them set up a savings plan for a toy or other item they want.

• Involve them in spring cleaning the house.

• Participate in a neighborhood cleanup activity.

• Ask them to pick out old toys and clothes to donate to a charity.

• Assign a few easy, age-appropriate chores, like picking up their toys or cleaning their room.

Over time, hopefully, you'll notice your kids take increased initiative and responsibility for their actions.

4. Problem-solving activities

Good leaders know how to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions. They can assess a situation and adapt quickly, an essential life skill to help them navigate unforeseen future challenges. 

Try a few of these activities to help kids hone their problem-solving skills:

• Organize toys by different characteristics, such as color or style.

• Ask your child to prepare for the next school day by picking out their clothes and packing their backpack and lunch.

• Give them a set of wooden blocks or Legos and ask them to build something.

• Teach your child to follow a basic recipe for a favorite treat, like chocolate chip cookies.

• Show them how to plant a garden.

The more challenging activities you provide, the better their problem-solving skills will become. 

5. Activities to develop emotional intelligence

Kids with emotional intelligence may find it easier to understand their feelings and keep a positive attitude. Teaching them how to self-regulate can help curb emotional outbursts or avoid unnecessary confrontations. They may also find it easier to develop relationships with friends, teachers, and others — all of which are excellent leadership skills for kids.

To boost emotional intelligence, try these leadership games for kids:

• Ask them to talk about what they're grateful for.

• Start a one-week kindness challenge.

• Watch a family-friendly movie that highlights emotions and ask your child questions about how the characters feel or how they might deal with the same situation.

• Talk about their day using emojis instead of words.

• Use positive affirmations to build your child’s confidence.

As kids strengthen their emotional intelligence, they may find it easier to explain their feelings to you and others and manage negative emotions.

Discover the best resources to teach your kids valuable skills

Fostering leadership qualities can help prepare kids for future leadership roles, whether leading a big class project or as captain of their sports team. As kids mature, they can transform their leadership skills into education and career opportunities. 

To explore more ways to boost your child’s life skills, check out Greenlight's Learning Center. We have lots of guides and resources you can use to empower your kids and help them build lifelong skills.