Training Teams of Children Leaders

The attributes of thriving leadership are:

*Communication *Cooperation *Respect *Responsibility *Teamwork *Trust

Training for teams of children leaders must take into account these six attributes of leadership. The training does not have to focus on all of these attributes at once. For instance, a team training focus can encompass one at a time: Communication -- Play games that help children learn how communication works. Games such as scavenger hunts, the old "telephone" game where the children line up and a phrase is whispered in one person's ear, then it is whispered on down the line. The last person in line says what the message was. Cooperation -- Grow a garden or cook a meal together. Better yet, grow a vegetable garden, then harvest the produce and prepare a meal together. For something as important as food, this form of working together will teach the ultimate in cooperation. Aside from cooperation, students will learn patience, perseverance, and as a bonus about nutrition. Respect -- Have a holiday potluck where the children bring a dish from their place of origin. Let them talk about their customs, their language, and anything from their home of origin. The children can also be encouraged to ask each other questions about the customs of the others. Children can even bring their grandparents or other relatives to assist with the lesson. Responsibility -- Have a food drive, or see how many pennies the students can collect, and then have them research and vote for a cause to the food or money. Throughout the process have discussions about how important is to take responsibility for our actions, for our environment, each other and ourselves. It's nice to point out how good you feel when you take responsibility for something, individually and in a team. Teamwork -- Another fun game is to get a big tarp, have the children hold the tarp on the perimeter, put a beach ball in the center, and together work to bounce the ball. This will show the children that working together, as a team, gets the results that they desire. Other games include passing an orange or ball with no hands, or anything that requires working together. You can also let the children suggest or actually create the games. Trust -- Set up an obstacle course and have the children take turns leading blindfolded peers through the course. Let some children experience being the leader, and some experience following and trusting. Experiencing both sides of the fence is extremely important for true understanding and leadership. Be sure to supervise this activity carefully.