Leadership

Scout Out Her Passions

Remember the thrill you felt when you scored your first ever soccer goal? Or how proud you felt getting flowers after a school play? Those experiences weren’t just fun ways to make new friends, they helped make you the confident, ambitious woman you are today. Plus, experts say kids who participate in extracurricular activities could actually do better in school. “Out-of-school experiences help girls develop real skills like teamwork and perseverance—skills that she’ll need to do well in school and throughout her life,” says Girl Scouts Chief Girl Expert, Developmental Psychologist Dr. Andrea Bastiani Archibald. With these tips, it’ll be fun and easy to find the right fit for your growing girl.

Explore Your Options
Check your school, parks and recreation department, museums, libraries, and community centers for activities that might be fun to try out. Additionally, ask other parents what their kids are involved with and whether they’re happy with the experiences. Then make a list of the activities that fit both your budget and schedule.

Ask These Questions
Is your daughter super imaginative? Perhaps something artistic would be a match. Does she love running around outside? Think about soccer or softball. Is she obsessed with Lego and figuring out how things work? A junior robotics club or coding class could be right up her alley. Remember that your daughter might not be into the same things you were as a child, no matter how much you wish that were the case! Really pay attention to her personality and then let her choose from a few options you think she might like.

Keep Her Interested
Tell her how proud you are of her for trying something new! If she can’t stop talking about how much fun she’s having in her new activity, you’ve probably found your match! Congrats! If she isn’t as enthusiastic, though, look into why. Maybe she’s not being challenged enough, or perhaps she’s not ready to be in such an advanced group. Ask her about her feelings and try to come up with solutions together—or talk to her teacher or coach to see if you can get her up to speed or help her feel more engaged. “Some activities simply might not be a match for your child, though,” Dr. Bastiani Archibald notes. “Of course it might be disappointing if you loved ballet or piano as a child and your daughter isn’t into it, but it’s important to recognize and value her unique personality and interests.”

Watch for Burnout
When you ask her about her activities, does she just shrug and say they’re “okay,” when two weeks ago, she couldn’t wait to tell her everything that she’d learned or accomplished? “If you notice that she’s not as excited as she used to be, try to find out why,” says Dr. Bastiani Archibald. “Having a very busy schedule with not a lot of downtime can make her overtired and make it hard for her to enjoy her hobbies as much as she would normally.” If that’s the case, sit down with her and see what can be adjusted in her schedule. Simplifying her week and her time obligations can help her enjoy her favorite things again. “But know that as a child grows, her interests may shift and change as well, so if she’s really not having fun anymore, it may be time to ditch that particular activity.”

Try Another Path
Struck out this time? Time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again! Keep in mind the lessons you and your daughter learned together from your first go-round—what worked and what didn’t—when you choose the next activity to try. Dr. Bastiani Archibald notes that “there’s a whole fun world out there, and you and your girl will have an amazing journey exploring it together.”

This article originally appeared on GirlScouts.org.

Leadership

Help Her Make the World She Dreams Of

When was the last time you sat down with your girl and encouraged her to make something—something she wanted to truly create—from scratch? In a society seemingly run by screens, it can be easy to forget about hands-on projects, yet those can be some of the most important activities for your girl to do. The act of making things isn’t just fun, it can set her up for major success in life.

“Making capitalizes on play-based experiences (the best way for kids to learn), and is also a wonderful entry to the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) as kids are naturally curious and creative,” says Girl Scouts Developmental Psychologist Dr. Andrea Bastiani Archibald. Plus, making emphasizes the process—the actual doing—rather than the end product in a way that so little in our lives does. From dreaming up ideas and designing projects to testing ideas and problem solving on her own terms, these hands-on projects are one of the best ways to keep your girl learning.

The art of creation also gives girls agency in a world where most things—where they live, when they go to school, even what they’re having for dinner—are usually out of their control. “Kids live in a world largely built and managed by adults,” says Dr. Bastiani Archibald. “When they are given the freedom to make something entirely of their own imagination, designing how it looks and operates, they can feel true ownership and control in a way they don’t often have the opportunity to.”

Being able to follow through on an idea of your own is psychologically satisfying. “When a child—or anyone—dreams up a project, but then has to hand it over to someone else to execute, they’re giving away part of their power,” she continues. “Meanwhile, the process of transforming their idea into a tangible object or product allows that person to retain complete control over the look, feel, and function—and culminates with an amazing sense of pride.”

What counts as making, though? Really, lots of things! Your girl can make or build a:

  • Bird feeder
  • Website
  • Soapbox derby car
  • Campfire (with supervision!)
  • Basic robot
  • Kite
  • Short film or movie
  • Cooking project
  • A lemon battery
  • Gingerbread house
  • Cardboard hat or crown
  • Diorama
  • Comic book or flip book
  • Marble race track
  • Sandcastle
  • Duct tape wallet
  • Backyard stage set
  • Miniature sailboat
  • Paper airplane or glider
  • Costume
  • Mural
  • Song or musical composition
  • Mobile
  • Balsa wood model
  • Knotted friendship bracelet
  • Skateboard
  • Wind sock
  • Knitted scarf
  • Blanket fort
  • Dollhouse
  • Wind chime
  • Or anything else she sets her mind to!

You can play a big role in encouraging your girl to be a maker. Here’s how:

  1. Set aside an area in your home as a free-for-all making space. Creativity is rarely neat, and your girl needs to feel that it’s okay to explore and really get her hands dirty.
  2. Gather found objects your girl might be inspired to make things from. These can be paper towel tubes, excess tin foil, sticks, rocks, old scraps of fabric, string, rubber bands, random buttons, empty milk cartons or cardboard boxes, and even age-appropriate and safe pieces of outdated electronics and appliances. All of these items—along with some more traditional crafting supplies like glue, tape, paints, markers, and construction paper—will give her the materials she needs to get going. Open-ended creativity and building projects and toys can also be helpful.
  3. Set aside uninterrupted time for her to brainstorm projects and then actually make them.
  4. Ask her to talk you through what she made and why she made certain decisions. What does she like most about the project, and what (if anything) would she do differently next time?
  5. Take photos of her creations and create a Maker gallery on the refrigerator, in the hallway, or in her room.

This article originally appeared on GirlScouts.org.

Leadership

Raise Her to be a Team Player

One quality every leader really needs? Being able to work well as part of a team. Leaders who understand the need to pitch in, who take pride in contributing to the greater good, and who see the benefits of their work are typically more effective and happy in their lives. Plus? They’re a whole lot more employable.

There are lots of ways you can raise your girl to be a team player—from signing her up for team sports like softball or soccer to getting her involved in a Girl Scout troop—but one of the best ways starts right at home with basic chores. “Your family is the first team your girl will ever belong to,” says Girl Scouts’ Developmental Psychologist Andrea Bastiani Archibald. “Chores can help her recognize and appreciate her role and value within the family unit—especially if you start her out on chores when she’s young.”

And there’s apparently no such thing as too young to help around the house. “There’s no question that toddlers are a little too little to be doing their own laundry—they can’t even reach!” says Dr. Bastiani Archibald, “But even at that age, she can help you put her dirty clothing into the laundry bag.” In fact, there are all kinds of chores that are fully age-appropriate for your tiniest teammate. She’ll feel pride in wiping down surfaces with a damp cloth, putting away her own toys in bins and baskets, and helping you sort and fold socks out of the dryer. “Your preschool girl might take longer to finish a task than you would,” says Dr. Bastiani Archibald, “but teaching her that she has something to contribute from such an early age will pay off bigtime down the road.”

As your child gets older and stronger, she can start to take on more complicated responsibilities like taking out the trash, raking leaves, and even making simple family meals. Take the time to really teach her each of these new skills (perhaps by doing them with her the first few times) and then reinforcing how much her time and effort benefits the family as a whole. After all, when everyone takes part in the family responsibilities, they’re finished sooner, leaving more time for fun activities. Plus? Knowing how to do the laundry and cook simple meals will really help her out once she gets to college.

For parents who want to get their elementary school, middle school, or even high school aged girls started on chores—it’s never too late to teach accountability, responsibility, and teamwork through family chores. As your girl gets older, she’ll want more freedom—which is an important and natural part of development. Talk to your girl about the kinds of things she wants (maybe it’s going to a concert with friends, having a social media account, or even one day borrowing your car) and explain that she needs to demonstrate she can be responsible first. How can she do that? By pitching in around the house, staying organized, and showing that you (and the whole family!) can rely on her.

Chores are an amazing way your girl can show her maturity, while also gaining the skills and confidence she’ll need to be an independent, successful adult. And well, let’s be honest, it’s nice to have some help around the house, too!

This article originally appeared on GirlScouts.org.