All parents want their kids to grow up as confident and capable individuals who can lead and thrive in any situation. But leadership isn’t something we’re born with. It is a skill that grows with time, experience, and the right environment.
One of the best ways to achieve this skill is through multi-activity camps! These adventurous, fun-filled experiences provide ideal settings for kids, allowing them to dive into a range of thrilling outdoor activities, make new friends, and build leadership skills, all while staying active and engaged.
This blog explores how multi-activity camps promote leadership for kids, what core qualities they help develop, and how you, as a parent, can support your child on their journey to becoming a future leader. Plus, we’ll introduce our exciting NEW short specialist camps, where your kids can explore a new hobby alongside the best of multi-activity in just a few action-packed days!
What makes a great leader?
Firstly, we need to answer the question, “What makes a good leader?” Beyond simply taking charge, leadership is about inspiring others, making thoughtful decisions, and bringing people together to achieve a common goal.
For children, it means learning how to listen, collaborate, take responsibility, and step up with confidence—abilities that can benefit them in school, work, and relationships. Some of the most important leadership skills in more detail include:
- Confidence — This is believing in oneself and encourages others to do the same. It’s about feeling brave enough to try new things and make suggestions. Example: Emily confidently presented her ideas to the rest of the group, which led to a successful solution.
- Good communication — Good leaders listen actively to what others have to say and express their thoughts clearly, both verbally and in writing. Example: Ben explained the rules of the game to a new member, helping them feel welcomed and play as a team.
- Teamwork — Success is a team effort, and strong leaders know how to work well with others, resolve conflict and keep the group moving forward together. Example: Amy noticed two friends arguing over who should go first in the obstacle course, so she suggested taking turns to make it equal for everyone.
- Empathy — Understanding and connecting with others’ emotions and perspectives is a key leadership skill that helps build trust, and strengthen relationships. Example: Mohamed comforted a friend who was upset when he lost his favourite toy, and shared his own.
- Problem-solving — Great leaders think critically and stay calm when things don’t go as planned, coming up with creative solutions to overcome issues. Example: Katy and her group’s paper bridge kept collapsing, so she rethought the design, and they finally made one that held strong.
- Responsibility — Taking responsibility requires owning both achievements and mistakes, learning from them, and ensuring any setbacks are addressed with a positive attitude. Example: James forgot to bring his homework to class and apologised to the teacher, submitting it the next day.
- Adaptability — It’s vital to be flexible and open to change, especially when it comes to adjusting to new situations. Example: Beth’s original art project plan didn’t work with the materials, so she quickly came up with a new idea and got a good grade.
Why leadership is important for kids
From a young age, kids learn leadership in many different ways. Whether it’s organising their toys, taking the lead in a football game, or finding the courage to ask a question in class, these moments are all valuable stepping stones to succeed in everyday life.
Here’s what leadership development can do for your child:
1. Build confidence
If you give kids the chance to lead, they start to realise what they are capable of. Even small acts like deciding a game to play or helping a younger sibling can be a real confidence-booster. It shows them their ideas matter and can make a positive impact. What’s more, this newfound self-esteem is carried into other areas, including schoolwork (e.g. answering an exam question) and social life (e.g. starting a conversation).
2. Improve communication
As mentioned previously, the sign of a good leader is knowing when to speak up and when to listen. Through group activities, kids express their thoughts, give clear instructions, and ask questions, all while being mindful of others in a respectful manner. They begin to understand the power of tone and body language to build better relationships, contribute to discussions, and navigate tricky situations.
3. Develop social and emotional intelligence
By interacting with a mix of personalities, kids learn to read social cues, resolve disagreements, and show empathy. These experiences help children build emotional intelligence: the ability to recognise and manage their own feelings, as well as understand how others might be feeling too. This makes them better peers, compassionate friends, and more thoughtful leaders, both now and as they grow up.
4. Promote creativity and innovation
Leaders often need to think outside the box and explore new ideas. It’s all about using your imagination to find a solution, and sometimes, there is no singular answer. By encouraging creativity, leadership opportunities like formulating a strategy for a game of netball help children build the confidence to try new things, take risks, and learn from their mistakes.
Clearly, building leadership skills in kids is essential. But how can we help them develop it in a fun, engaging way?
How multi-activity camps build leadership skills
Enter multi-activity camps! Instead of focusing on just one thing, our children’s holiday camps offer a bit of everything—maybe some canoeing in the morning, followed by a hike before lunch, and then perhaps an afternoon of cooking or even dabbling in some cool science experiments on our new 3-night specialist taster sessions.
Designed for all ages and abilities, there’s something for everyone to enjoy! But there’s more to these camps than just fun; they’re full of opportunities for personal growth. So, let’s dive into how multi-activity camps help build leadership skills in kids through adventure, teamwork, and hands-on learning!
1. Team-based challenges
From orienteering to raft building, multi-activity camps are packed with a variety of team-based challenges that require cooperation, strategy, and clear communication to succeed.
For example, during a scavenger hunt, one child might take the lead in reading the clues while others split up to search different areas—working together to crack codes, find hidden items, and reach the final goal as a team. As a result, children naturally begin to build leadership skills without even realising it.
2. Problem-solving activities
Leadership is often about making tough decisions and thinking on your feet. Whether it’s building a sturdy shelter out of natural materials like branches and leaves on our Bushcraft Specialist Camp, or figuring out how to solve a puzzle as a team, campers face all kinds of exciting challenges.
These multi-activities encourage kids to think critically, make decisions under pressure, experiment with different approaches, and consider others’ opinions. The most important thing to remember is that it’s about trying, adjusting, and learning from what works (and what doesn’t). That’s where real leadership begins.
3. Encourage taking initiative
One of the best things about multi-activity holidays is the freedom they give children. Campers who may not put themselves forward in more structured settings like school can step up and take the lead, practising their decision-making skills and learning the value of responsibility.
For instance, in a fast-paced game of aeroball, one might take the initiative to suggest team positions and tactics to boost their group’s chances of winning. Meanwhile, on our Pony Camp Beginner Camp, a beginner may show initiative by choosing to steer their pony independently for the first time through a course. In short, taking initiative builds both confidence and trust in their own abilities—key ingredients for leadership.
4. Positive role modelling
Camp leaders and instructors play a huge role in modelling positive leadership behaviour. Kids look up to these older role models who lead activities and sessions with enthusiasm, patience, and kindness.
Over time, children embody these qualities and begin to reflect them in their own actions and words. If a camp leader makes a point to include a quieter child to join in a game of disc golf, it sets a good example of inclusivity. This indirect method is one of the most effective ways to build leadership skills in kids.
5. Rotating roles and responsibilities
In many multi-activity camps, leadership roles are rotated. One day your child might be the team captain for a laser tag tournament; the next, they might be the one in charge of setting up equipment for an arts and crafts session.
This ensures everyone has a voice, keeps things fair, and teaches kids that different leadership styles (e.g. an energetic motivator, a quiet organiser, or a thoughtful listener) all have value. Overall, experiencing different responsibilities helps children acknowledge the part they play in a team’s success.
Tips to help your child develop leadership skills
Our While multi-activity camps are an amazing launchpad for nurturing young leaders, but developing leadership skills starts at home. Here are some simple and easy tips to help you do just that:
- Promote their independence: Let them choose their outfit for the day, pack their own school bag, or choose a weekend activity. This builds their self-reliance and allows them to flex their organisational muscles.
- Let them lead at home: Give them small responsibilities, like making breakfast, setting up the table for dinner or watering plants. It’s a great way to help them feel involved and contribute to their household.
- Praise effort, not just outcomes: Praise your child when they show initiative, kindness, or good judgment. From saying ‘thank you’ to cleaning up their room without being asked, it reinforces positive behaviour and motivates them to take responsibility.
- Practice problem-solving together: Whether it’s figuring out a jigsaw or maths equation, working through problems as a team will help your child stay calm under pressure and think critically to find the answer.
- Encourage their interests or hobbies: Sports, after-school clubs, and hobbies like painting and music offer more chances to practice communication and collaboration while doing something they genuinely enjoy.
Discover new skills at a PGL Kids Camp!
Looking to give your child an unforgettable experience that helps them grow? Our multi-activity adventure camps are designed to build leadership skills in kids through adventure, teamwork, and challenge-based learning.
With activities ranging from climbing and archery to team-building games and creative workshops, your child will:
- Make new friends
- Boost their confidence
- Learn how to lead and collaborate
- Discover strengths they didn’t know they had
Our new 3-night specialist camps are a great introduction into a new hobby and a perfect addition to the summer holidays! Enjoy a taste of our Cooking, Baking, Bushcraft and Cool Science camps at our Liddington and Marchants Hill centres this Summer.
Get in touch with our friendly and experienced team today to see how we can help!
