Gift for Parents: How Kids "Pitching In" Is a Leadership Skill
TO "PITCH IN" MEANS YOUR CHILD IS WILLING TO HELP. If you have a youngster who complains about tasks, his complaints can be a real drag at home and at school. How can you help him see the value of pitching in? Keep reading.
Real leaders don’t sit around basking in their leadership titles. True heads see the bigger picture and take action. One of their most important behaviors is to help others. How does this apply to your girl or boy?
The leadership attitude begins at home. To get children to help around your house, you might:
1. Use the phrase, “First this and then that…” First pick up your toys, and then we’ll play a board game (or whatever the motivating activity is). These powerful words avoid the complaining you detest and they increase your child’s willingness to help.
2. Find ways to compliment your child:
"I appreciate the effort you made to complete your homework."
"I like how you straightened your sheet before you finished making your bed."
"Thank you for entertaining your baby brother while I fixed dinner."
Children love honest compliments and appreciation.
3. Use stars and charts for a visual reminder of his or her helpfulness.
4. Create warm chats about leadership outside the home. Advise him to help his friend, a neighbor, or look around his classroom and see what needs to be done like:
Picking up toys when he and his friend have finished playing with them.
Helping a pal with a task he needs to finish before he can play.
Asking his teacher if he can clean the paint brushes after school.
A child with an eye to seeing the bigger picture, the willingness to help, and then pitching in, is a leader in action.
5. Ask your child to let you know when she helped others and increased her leadership skills. You are her confidant and guide. She’ll want you to know.
Your gift today lists 7 leadership skills. Find out what the other 6 are. Then think about how you can promote them in your child. If you do, you’ll be building her character and she’ll enjoy the good feeling of being an involved helper and leader.
Why not download all the leadership skills and put them in a 3-hole binder to use whenever you need them?
Click on http://kidsdiscuss.com/subscriber-gifts.asp and insert the code word, LEAD. Then download your gift.
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