The Expression of children’s early leadership in games

ENThe phenomenon of leadership in preschool childhood is a relevant problem and a goal that must be pursued from an early age. The earlier we start developing the child’s innate leadership qualities, the sooner he/she will acquire them and the more likely he/she will be an excellent leader in the future. In addition to the active participation of children in the activities of the preschool group and in various family life situations, the encouragement of educators to express their opinions as often as possible and the development of independence in daily activities, great attention must be paid to children’s involvement and participation in games. By properly selected or spontaneous play children’s social skills are developed already from an early age and their early social experience, which also promotes the expression of early leadership in children’s behaviour and communication with other children and adults, is acquired. In this context, play can be seen as a main factor in the expression of children’s early leadership. The aim is to analyse the expression of children’s early leadership in games. The research sample is non-probability, targeted, convenience sample. Eighty-three preschool teachers from various preschool institutions of Lithuania, who work with children aged five to six, participated in the research on a voluntary basis.Methodology: Prior to the empirical research, scientific and methodological literature, information sources and the documents on education of the Republic of Lithuania were analysed. A quantitative research strategy was chosen to implement the research aim. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey. The survey was conducted remotely in September-October 2020. Results: The scientific literature states that childhood is a special period of time, important for the purposeful, high-quality education of the child and for the promotion and development of personal qualities necessary for the expression of leadership. The research distinguishes important personal qualities of children, which influence their expression as a leader: self-confidence, activity, desire to dominate, ability to play and agree with other children, communicability, creativity. Types of games that help to reveal the expression of children’s early leadership are singled out. The teachers noted that these are more group than individual games. Keywords: Children, expression of early leadership, games. [From the publication]