Parenting Pointers: How to Raise Confident Kids Who Aren’t Afraid to Lead

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Do you want to raise a confident child who’s not afraid to chase her dreams? In order for children to grow up secure, confident, and self-motivated, parents must instill leadership skills from an early age. Leadership skills teach children how to solve problems, work with others, and plan for the future so they emerge as well-rounded, successful adults.


Whether you’re a foster parent, adoptive parent, or birth parent, you have an important role to play in your child’s development into a future leader. Motherhood Mindfully shares some things you can do to foster your child’s leadership skills.

Learn How to Raise Confident Kids

For some people, confidence comes naturally. However, for most people it’s a trait nurtured from an early age. These strategies help parents raise children with the confidence to step outside their comfort zones and try new things.

• Encourage new experiences. Gaining new skills is a great way to build a child’s self-esteem and confidence in her abilities.
• Have conversations. You can impart skills like negotiation, crisis management, and how to be a good partner through everyday conversations with your kids.
• Set goals together. Turning a goal into actionable steps teaches children how to use planning and strategy to achieve their goals.
• Praise effort. Parents who praise their child’s efforts regardless of outcome not only teach the value of hard work, they demonstrate that failure isn’t something to fear.

Teach the Importance of Teamwork

Leaders don’t just march to the beat of their own drum — they also convince others to do the same. But you can’t be an inspiring leader if you don’t know how to work well with others. That’s why it’s so important for parents to teach collaboration and teamwork from an early age.

• Involve kids in projects at home. Whether it’s cooking a recipe, doing chores, or helping with a home improvement project, pitching in teaches the value of working together.
• Incorporate turn-taking into everyday routines. Timers are a simple way to teach young children how to wait their turn.
• Encourage good sportsmanship. Competition can be beneficial for kids, but keep it friendly. Both winning and losing serve as teachable moments in empathy.

Raise Kids Who Persevere

Leaders don’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Rather, they solve problems, leap over barriers, and keep their eyes trained on the goal. If you want to raise kids with the grit to persevere through setbacks, here’s what to do.

• Don’t be a helicopter parent. Children whose parents solve every problem for them don’t learn how to overcome challenges on their own.
• Talk about times you’ve struggled. Kids tend to think adults have it all figured out. Sharing stories of challenges you’ve overcome models the value of perseverance.
• Get involved in extracurriculars. Sports and other after-school activities offer kids a hands-on lesson in getting back up again after failure.

Leadership skills teach children countless lessons, from setting and achieving goals to working well with others. These lessons not only help your child thrive throughout their youth, they also help kids grow into successful adults. No matter what your child’s future holds, these lessons in leadership are sure to serve her well.

Another resource for parents:  6 Ways To Manage Your Sky-High Parenting Expectations of Yourself