What are some ways to teach leadership to children? Leadership is a skill that can be taught to children sans the pressure and guided through the process at their own pace. Developing leadership skills in children begins at home. The following are simple steps on how parents can develop leadership skills in children.

Hone Your Toddler’s Communication Skills

Good leaders are good communicators, and this can be achieved by teaching your toddler early. Work on your toddler’s reading and speaking. You can do this by reading something to your toddler and then asking him to narrate the story back to you. If he knows how to read, ask your little one to read you a book. Hold conversations with your toddler. Ask him anything under the sun – how his day was, what he did, his thoughts about the movie you watched together, events, etc. In addition, teach your toddler to talk in a calm and courteous manner and to listen carefully when someone is talking.

Promote Independence

Allow your toddler to do things for himself. If he says he can do it, let him do it. Give your toddler responsibilities by giving him age-appropriate chores such as setting up the table, making his bed and sorting clothes. Even if you might have to redo them, at least you are giving your child an opportunity to flourish. Also, encourage independent play. This is an excellent way to encourage your toddler to look for ways to entertain himself instead of providing him a solution.

Encourage Your Toddler To Volunteer

One effective way to develop leadership skills in children is to train your toddler to volunteer. You can encourage this by letting your toddler make decisions. For instance, he can take part in deciding what to eat for dinner, help plan a weekend trip or choose new sheets and linens for his bed.
Furthermore, why not do community service together. Visit soup kitchens, animal shelters and homeless shelters. Or, why not organize an outreach program or a garage sale and donate your earnings to charity. These experiences will help empower your toddler and teach him how to have a positive impact on others.

Hone Your Toddler’s Talents

Another very good way to instil leadership skills in children is to nurture their talents and interests. If your toddler loves to play basketball or likes playing the piano, enroll him in a class. Pursuing something he is passionate about will make him feel comfortable and later take on a leadership role.

Increase Social Interaction

The best way to practice leadership skills in children is through exposure. Organize play dates with other moms in your neighbourhood. Let him spend more time in the playground. Sign him up for art or singing lessons. By surrounding your toddler with people, you are giving him an opportunity not just to lead but to learn teamwork.

Let Your Toddler Express Himself

Encourage your toddler to express himself. When a child is free to voice out his thoughts, ideas and opinions, he feels more confident. You can help by encouraging him to speak out. But, do not disregard angry outbursts or impose silence. Instead, recommend alternative ways of self-expression. Learning how to speak tactfully and assertively are two traits of becoming a good leader.

Give Praise

When your little one accomplishes something, do not forget to praise it whether it is getting a high score in his assignment, learning how to tie his own shoes or writing cleanly or reading faster. You might say, “I am so proud of you that you know how to tie your shoelaces without any help!”. In your toddler’s young age, small steps mean a lot and he will feel good with his achievements. When he feels good, he builds up his self-esteem which is essential to developing leadership skills.

Teach By Example

Keep in mind that whatever parents do, children follow. Your toddler is your best imitator so whatever you say or do, he will surely mimic. Be the type of leader you want your toddler to be by being your toddler’s role model. Be involved. Help others. Volunteer. Take initiatives in everyday life. Explain to your toddler what you are doing and the reason why you are doing it.

Being a leader is not something innate, it has to be taught and nurtured. Every child has the potential to develop leadership skills. Hence, it is imperative for parents to develop leadership skills in children to guarantee them a brighter future.

Spanking does not equal to discipline. In fact, positive discipline techniques are more effective than any kind of force. Here are some tips on how to discipline a child without using your hands.

Keep Calm

It is very easy to spank your toddler if you feel angry and out of control. But, doing this will only make you feel guilty and your little one resentful. As much as possible, leave the situation if you can. Take a time-out for yourself and go somewhere peaceful to think, read or take a walk. The quiet time alone will help you find a better alternative or solution other than spanking. If you cannot leave the situation, then mentally step back, count to ten and breathe in and breathe out.

Explain

Once you think you have cooled down, talk to your toddler in a firm and gentle manner. Get down on your toddler’s level, make eye contact, touch him gently and explain to your little one why he is wrong. Your little one is more likely to hear what you have to say when you are calm rather than shouting.

Teach

Teach instead of punishing your toddler. Remember that actions speak louder than words so show your toddler how to do things right. For instance, if he leaves his toys scattered in the living room, say “When you leave your toys scattered in the living room, someone can step on them or someone can trip on them. Let us gather your toys and put them in the cabinet.”.

Give Choices

Giving a toddler a choice is an effective option to spanking. If he is playing with his food at the table, ask “Do you want to eat your food or would you rather leave the table?”. If he continues to play with his food, let him leave the table. Tell him that he can return to the table when he is ready to eat. Most likely, he will go back to the table within a few minutes and start eating because he realized that his negative behaviour will not solicit any harsh reactions from you.

Use Consequences

Even if your toddler will not be physically punished for a wrong doing, he still needs to pay the price to learn. Give your toddler a time-out for biting his younger sister. Do not buy him a new toy after he kicked his teddy bear just because he does not want to take a nap. Yes you will feel bad when he cries, but you need to be firm. Remember, you are helping your child grow up to become a responsible person.

Give A Warning

If he answers back when you reprimand him, withdraw from conflict immediately. Do not give in to your anger and spank your toddler. Hitting models hitting so be a good example to your child. Just say in a firm voice, “I do not want to talk to you right now. Just talk to me when you can talk more respectfully.”.

Praise Good Behaviour

For example, if your toddler waits for his turn in the slide, tell him you are proud of him for patiently waiting for his turn and not pushing the other kids. He has to know you love and appreciate him. If he gets more attention for his positive behaviour rather than his misbehaviours, he will be more motivated to do well.

You can discipline your toddler without spanking. By being firm, open-minded and communicative, your toddler will be able to understand you clearly and you will be able to get your message across more effectively.

Your toddler has grown accustomed to getting 100% attention of the people around him. But, when a new bundle of joy comes into the world, a different story unfolds. Sibling rivalry is natural to children. After all, your little one still does not know how to process his mixed emotions. Hence, it is your responsibility to help your toddler. Spot the problem areas. Secure him with your love and build a strong foundation for a good lasting relationship.

Generally, sibling rivalry takes place when you have two or more children. Since your children are constantly battling over your affection, you need to be wary of your actions. Giving them equal love and attention will minimize jealousy and apprehension. To help you, here are some tips on effectively managing sibling rivalry in toddlers.

Eliminating Sibling Rivalry

Never Make Comparisons

This one is a killer. Judging your toddler against his other siblings is a big no-no in every parenting book. Each individual is unique and so is your toddler. He has his own set of traits that make him who he is. Appreciate his good qualities. Give ample positive reinforcement. Talk about his weaknesses in a calm, firm and gentle manner. Remember, do not evaluate him by comparing him to someone else. Instead, give him goals and levels of expectation that only relates to him. This will eliminate the thought of favoritism on his mind.

Listen

Sibling rivalry can be sorted out easily just by listening to your toddler. When your little one knows you care enough to listen to what he has to say, most probably his insecurity will go away. So the next time your toddler makes a heated remark about his sibling, give him time and let him vent. Do not reprimand him. By doing so, he is able to properly process emotions on his own. And by the time he calms down, he will feel sorry about it and make amends with you and his sibling.

Hold Weekly Dates

One on one time with your toddler asserts him of your love and affection. To make your children stop their battles, set a day each week wherein you can give your undivided attention to each of your child. For your eldest child, a fun afternoon in the amusement park, eating ice cream in his favorite store or watching a movie together will do. For your youngest, you can simply play with him in the playground or do fun activities (e.g. arts and crafts, painting, drawing, puppet shows, etc.) at home while his older toddler is in school.

Let Them Work Together

The next time you assign your toddler a household chore, task him to do it together with his sibling. Let your older toddler read books to his younger brother. During play time, encourage them to work as a team. When doing household chores, let your youngest assist his older brother in cleaning his room. Most often, what toddlers need is teamwork. Once they know how to work with each other, they are able to compromise better. Plus, it gives your eldest child a clear idea that every family member is equally treated in the house.

Give Your Toddlers Space

As much as your toddlers need bonding time together and with the family, it is also very important to allow each of your toddlers their own quality time. Each of them needs adequate time to be on their own, with mommy and daddy and with their friends. Space provides them balance. It allows them to find their own individuality and strengthen their character which impacts how effective they bond with each other.

Having a child is undoubtedly the most satisfying of all blessings any individual can receive. Children are the pride and joy of parents. As a parent, it is your responsibility to nourish your toddler with only the best of everything to ensure him a happy and healthy life. However, toddler parenting can be such a tedious task as it has its own ups and downs. Consistency is important to successfully stabilize your little one’s development. Also, it serves as the foundation when it comes to disciplining your toddler.

Undoubtedly, there are thousands of toddler parenting tips that can be found in books, magazines, newspapers, online forums and websites. Each tip may be helpful to a particular toddler but may not be valuable to another child. Every toddler is different. Thus, it is up to the parents how they will incorporate these tips. But regardless of the different techniques you apply to your toddler, these six tried and tested parenting tips must be used.

Tip # 1: Show Affection and Optimism

Positive words and actions top the list of many toddler parenting tips. For it is through expression that lets toddlers know they are not alone and that their mom and dad will always stay by their side no matter what. Give your child security through your affection. Make it a point to openly show affection towards your toddler. Always remember that your displays of love must outnumber the times you punish him. Studies have shown that toddlers whose parents constantly hug, kiss, cuddle and praise them are more likely to follow their rules.

Tip # 2: Model Good Behaviour

As parents are the first teachers of their children, it is essential that you become a role model to your toddler. The way your young one acts and treats other people is a reflection of your own personality. So if you do not want him to scream at others, then do not raise your voice or easily get mad when he makes mistakes. Instead, talk to him in a calm yet firm and serious manner. This will alleviate his uneasiness making him open up to you better.

Tip # 3: Show Consistency

When it comes to disciplining your toddler, setting rules is a must. Showing consistency is a prerequisite. Setting good rules opens up your toddler’s eyes to the facts of life. It also lays down a solid foundation that will help him during his development. Let your toddler know that you are serious about the rules you have set. Make it clear to him what you expect from him and point out that there will be consequences if the rules are not followed.

Tip # 4: Reprimand Him

When your toddler breaks his rules repeatedly, let him face consequences. This will make him realize that his actions are wrong encouraging him to cooperate. Give him your warning signal. Let him stay in his time out spot for a while. Withhold privileges (e.g. his favorite toy, chocolates, chips, etc.).

Tip # 5: Allow Him to Make Mistakes

Too much rules only confuses your little one’s mind. Take time to think about the rules you have laid down. Never expect your child to be well-behaved at all times or obey every rule that you set. Minimize your rules as much as possible. Keep in mind that mistakes are always the best teacher. Let your toddler learn things on his own. Allow him to make his own decisions. It can be as simple as letting him choose the clothes he wants to wear or making him select which toy he likes in the toy store. If he makes an error, do not accuse him and stay by his side. In this way, he learns how to resolve his own battles independently.

Tip # 6: Stop Conforming Him to Be Like You

Most times, parents often forget that toddlers have a mind of their own. Accept the traits and personality of your child. Do not conform him to be like mommy and daddy. He is his own individual. Instead of pinpointing his bad habits, find ways to help him change and improve. Build on your toddler’s strengths to boost his self-esteem.

Your toddler learns from mimicking you. So always make an effort to be a good example. Take good care of him by using encouraging and positive words and actions.