As parents, we all want our children to grow up to be leaders—confident, empathetic, and capable of making a difference in the world. But did you know that literacy plays a crucial role in developing these leadership traits? In this post, we’ll explore the powerful connection between reading and leadership, and how you can nurture both in your child.
The Relationship Between Literacy and Leadership
Literacy and leadership are deeply interconnected. Reading is not just about decoding words on a page; it’s about understanding complex ideas, empathizing with others, and thinking critically. These are the same skills that great leaders possess. By fostering strong reading skills in your child, you’re also helping them develop the qualities that will make them effective leaders.
When children read, they are exposed to different perspectives, cultures, and experiences. This exposure helps them build empathy, a key trait of strong leaders. Reading also encourages critical thinking, as children learn to analyze information, make connections, and draw conclusions. These skills are essential for problem-solving and decision-making—two core aspects of leadership.
How Reading Fosters Essential Leadership Traits
Here are three key leadership traits that reading helps to develop:
- Grit and Perseverance: Reading requires focus and determination, especially as children encounter more challenging texts. By sticking with a difficult book or concept, children learn the value of perseverance—a trait that will serve them well in leadership roles.
- Empathy and Understanding: Through reading, children are introduced to characters and situations that are different from their own experiences. This exposure helps them develop empathy, as they learn to see the world from other perspectives and understand the feelings and motivations of others.
- Critical Thinking and Decision-Making: Reading encourages children to think critically about the information they encounter. Whether it’s analyzing a character’s actions or understanding the implications of a historical event, reading helps children develop the analytical skills they need to make informed decisions.
Tips for Nurturing Leadership Through Reading
So, how can you nurture leadership qualities in your child through reading? Here are a few tips:
- Choose Books with Strong Role Models: Select books that feature characters who display leadership traits, such as bravery, empathy, and integrity. Discuss these traits with your child and encourage them to think about how they can apply them in their own lives.
- Encourage Reflective Reading: After reading, ask your child questions that prompt them to reflect on what they’ve read. For example, “What would you have done in that situation?” or “How do you think the character felt?”
- Incorporate Leadership Lessons: Use stories as a springboard for broader discussions about leadership. Talk about historical leaders your child reads about and how their actions shaped the world. This helps your child connect the dots between reading and real-world leadership.
Want to teach leadership in 15 minutes a day?
Reading is not just a pathway to academic success—it’s also a powerful tool for developing the leadership skills that will help your child succeed in life.
That’s why I share weekly leadership lessons to get the leadership conversation started. I’ve chosen a true story of leadership with incredible picture books that focus on ambition, boldness, creativity and other leadership vocabulary, one for each letter of the alphabet. Each lesson is a video read aloud and a conversation guide. Jump into Play to Read Plus and get access to weekly leadership lessons on top of phonics games, because your kiddo is more than a reader, they are a leader too!
