Leadership is often considered an innate skill that people are born with. Hence the widely popularized phrase "natural born leaders." What this usually means is the natural presence of qualities such as extraversion, confidence, charisma and assertiveness, that are common personality traits in successful leaders.
However, studies contend that leadership is a set of skills that can be learned. While certain personality traits predispose some towards leadership, environmental factors such as skills training and experience shape the leadership skills in an individual. Moreover, the qualities that make one a leader are much more nuanced than that. (More on that in the later section)
Middle school involves a period of emotional, behavioral, and social growth in your child as they transition from childhood to early adulthood and from elementary school to middle school. It is widely stated that cognitive growth spurt begins at ages 11-14 in adolescence, which allows them to experience new emotions and develop new social skills during this stage. Thus making this developmental phase the most crucial time to cultivate leadership skills in your child.
This article will delve into some of the leadership activities you could consider for your pre- teen or teen child. But before that let’s understand what qualities make a good leader and why leadership skills are growing in importance across all domains.
Building Leadership Skills in Middle School
Who is a leader? A leader is a self-starter, someone who does not hesitate to roll up their sleeves to get to the root of the problem and solve it. They are proactive in identifying issues within their community and come up with innovative methods to resolve them.
For middle schoolers, leadership skills help achieve better outcomes in academics, attendance, and behavior. In addition to that, leadership skills promote team-work dynamics, communication, decision making and compassion for people apart from the core leadership skills.
It is important for parents and children to take note of the weightage given to leadership experience during the time of college and university applications. Admissions officers view leadership roles and experiences as a means to gauge the potential contribution and impact your child could make to their college community.
Leadership skills also can take your child a long way in their future beyond high school and college. Whether scoring an internship, job or starting an independent venture of their own, leadership experience could cultivate confidence and independence to take any challenge head on.
So, how can parents like you guide their child to develop leadership skills?
Leadership Activities for Middle Schoolers That You May not Have Considered
Researchers have identified that leadership development has been linked to adolescent engagement in extracurricular activities. This is because when your child engages in an activity that aligns with their interests and talents, they are more likely to remain committed for a longer period of time, which opens doors for leadership positions.
This article will demonstrate how your child can simply utilize their core competencies and natural inclinations to build a leadership profile that will stand out.
Independent Projects
Leadership simply means being able to identify issues within the community and applying innovative methods to solve them. Pursuing an independent project motivated by a genuine passion is an excellent way for your child to demonstrate leadership skills and gain experience. A self-led project that aligns with their passion and interests is one way to propel your child to bring it to fruition.
Our crimson rise students are encouraged to follow their natural inclination to complete an independent project on their own. For example, one of our students created a website to help attract tourists to the Philippines. He used his natural inclination for photography to bring the country to life through a beautiful series of photos.
Similarly, you can encourage your child to explore different ideas that spark their interest and curiosity. Assist them on their exploration journey by presenting different opportunities and outlining the scope of each project. Reassure them of your support and break down the projects into achievable phases to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Our Rise students have completed numerous leadership activities with guidance from their personal mentor. They receive one-on-one support in ideating, developing, and executing an original capstone project such as building an app, founding a club, or creating an art showcase. We could help your child with developing their personal project. Learn more about our capstone projects here
Social Service or Volunteering
Social service and volunteering are more than just avenues to demonstrate leadership skills. Volunteering can instill a sense of civic responsibility, commitment, and empathy, which are key skills for becoming a successful leader.
Here is an example of a leadership activity rooted in social service. One of our Crimson students had been volunteering at a home for the elderly for years, fostering strong relationships with them. As a senior, she created a project called the "Storybook Project". Under this initiative, she collected the stories of the elderly residents, wrote posts, and published them on a website she built. She expanded this project internationally, establishing chapters in several states and other countries, and leading a team in collecting, writing, and publishing real people's stories from all over.
Volunteering and social service can take various forms, and in recent times, community service has become an increasingly important metric for colleges to evaluate applicants. Engage your child in a variety of social services to help them explore causes they feel strongly about.
Encourage your child to start with a project that has a small scope. Have an open discussion about causes they feel passionate about improving in the community. Then brainstorm ideas together, such as planning a small fundraiser to support a local organization working on that issue. Empower them to get creative by utilizing their core skills to make a positive difference, even on a small scale. If your child is talented in a particular subject, you could discuss peer tutoring as a volunteering option as well.
Now let us look at some traditional leadership activities that your child could pursue
Student Body
Student council or student government is a well-known medium for demonstrating leadership skills. Students receive training in various leadership capacities early on, such as writing meeting agendas and conducting meetings. Students who are part of the council develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills through their duties and responsibilities. They have an advantageous position and a competitive edge over their peers, especially in the context of university applications.
Talk to your child about the opportunities they could have as part of the student council. Admission officers hold the experience of running for the student body in high regard, as it demonstrates an inclination toward leadership and a passion for serving the local community.
Join a Student Clubs or Start One
Most schools have different clubs for dedicated activities or extracurriculars. These could include academic clubs, arts clubs, and service-oriented clubs, among others. Parents should keep a close eye on their child's involvement in club-related activities to ensure active participation rather than wasteful use of time.
Clubs also provide the opportunity to compete as a team, which is a great way for your child to showcase their strengths and leadership skills. To demonstrate their commitment to a particular activity or subject, encourage them to take on leadership positions within the club. If your child cannot find a club that aligns with their interests, let them know they have the option to start one on their own.
Speech or Debate
Speech and debate present opportunities to develop communication and critical thinking skills that are highly important for functioning in a leadership position. Regardless of winning, participation in speech or debate competitions demonstrates your child's ability to articulate and make cohesive arguments with confidence, which is fundamental to building leadership skills.
Join Model United Nations
MUN, just like speech and debate, is considered a great opportunity for leadership development as it requires participants to be well-read and articulate in order to make strong arguments that persuade the crowd. Additionally, leading committee discussions within MUN provides valuable early experience in delegating duties, coordinating teammates, building consensus, and engaging in collaborative strategic planning.
Students who aspire to become world leaders, diplomats, or achieve entrepreneurial roles such as CEOs could greatly benefit from participating in MUN.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, instilling leadership skills in your child is a lifelong investment with far-reaching benefits, such as college admissions, career success, and beyond. Our suggestion would be to consider genuine interest and passion when engaging in leadership activities.
Crimson Rise has designed an innovative approach that can support your child's leadership pursuits as early as middle school. Our capstone projects provide your child with all the necessary resources to create an original project from the ground up. Book a free consultation with an expert academic advisor to fast track your child’s journey towards leadership development.
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