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The Undeniable Connection Between Reading and Leadership For Kids

Guest post by Make a Way Media, 2025 Super Platinum Sponsor

We’ve all heard the phrase “raise a reader, raise a leader,” but what does that really mean? Let’s explore how reading can shape your child’s heart, mind, and future. There is an undeniable connection between reading and leadership, and every book offers a powerful opportunity to nurture these skills.

The Benefits of Reading

Have you ever wondered why schools and libraries emphasize reading programs for kids? Reading is more than just a way to pass the time—it’s a powerful tool for nurturing the mind, fostering creativity, and inspiring a lifelong love of learning.

When kids prioritize reading, it reinforces important literacy and analytical skills, like comprehension and vocabulary, that are essential for success in school and beyond. Reading helps keep these strategies fresh and sharp.

When kids are allowed to choose books that truly interest them, reading becomes a time of discovery. Students can experience new ideas, cultures, and customs that they might not have been introduced to otherwise. This autonomy reinforces the idea that reading isn’t a task—it’s a treasure to be enjoyed.

How Reading Impacts Leadership Skills

The right stories do more than entertain—they teach empathy and critical thinking. Books encourage reflection and build resilience. They allow kids to imagine what it feels like to walk in someone else’s shoes, or sometimes even what it feels like to stand tall in their own.

This process of continuous learning and growth builds who your kids are becoming. When you choose books that are not only fun but meaningful, you’re not just raising a reader—you’re raising a leader.

Good leaders are empathetic, critical thinkers, strong communicators, and inspirational to those around them. They know how to overcome challenges and aren’t afraid to explore new possibilities.

Books not only model that emotional intelligence but also show different ways to fulfill leadership roles. Through reading, kids might even start to see that they are already leaders in their spaces of influence (like school, with younger siblings, or in the neighborhood).

Leaders also know the importance of continuous improvement. Teaching kids to view reading as a form of personal and professional growth equips them with a valuable tool to find new skills later on in life.

How to Choose Books That Teach Leadership Skills to Kids

As you build your child’s reading stack, look for books that help students:

• Feel seen
• Understand others
• Grow emotionally
• Ask meaningful questions
• Dream boldly

These kinds of books aren’t “extra credit” stories. They’re foundational lessons we all need.

Five Questions to Guide Your Book Picks

Here’s how to tell if a book will offer more than just a good story:

1. Does the main character grow emotionally?
   Look for books that model coping skills, problem-solving, or emotional awareness.
2. Does the book reflect the world as it truly is—or as we want it to be?
   Choose books that show diversity in all forms (race, family structure, ability, etc.).
3. Can your child see themselves in the story?
   Representation helps kids feel validated and powerful.
4. Can your child see someone different from them in the story?
   Having the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is an essential part of empathy. Reading provides those insights into someone else’s world.
5. Does the story leave your child with hope?
   We all need to believe in the possibility of change, growth, and good—especially effective leaders.

If a book checks even two or three of these boxes, it’s worth adding to the library checkout pile.

Examples of Books That Teach Leadership Skills

Books that grow kids into effective leaders don’t have to be directly about leadership roles, personal growth, or even history and global events. Leadership skills can also develop from learning about hope, resilience, diversity, and culture.

Here are a few great book recommendation lists for little leaders:

• Multicultural Books About Hope and Resilience
• Books That Celebrate Culture and Identity
• Multicultural Books About Diverse Families and Friends

How Literacy Impacts Real Life

Books don’t just live in libraries. They live in conversations, dinner tables, car rides, and quiet moments at bedtime. One of my favorite things about books is that we can use them as ways to connect with our kids and even check in on their well-being.

Why not read a book together and then use these questions to spark discussion:

• “What do you think that character was feeling?”
• “Have you ever felt that way?”
• “What would you have done differently?”
• “Did that book change how you see something or someone?”

The more your child thinks and reflects, the more they grow. No matter your kid’s age, reading makes a difference. It helps students see more of the big, beautiful world around us and understand their importance in it.

Prioritize Reading

This is a time to nourish our children with books that build them up, both inside and out. Look for stories about kindness, self-discovery, hope, resilience, and the power of small actions to create change. My upcoming book, Hope In the Nick of Time, is definitely one to add to the must-read list.

Nick Saint is in New York City with his family, but everything is going wrong! From slushy shoes to spilled gelato, he feels like the day is going from bad to worse. A surprise encounter helps him rediscover hope and the power of perspective. He remembers that small acts of kindness can, and do, change the world. You can preorder your copy here so that you’ll be the first to have Hope In the Nick of Time on your bookshelf.

In the meantime, we’ve put together a beautiful free workbook full of resources to help your kids build hope and what I like to call “hoping skills.” Coping skills help us get through hard times. Hoping skills are intentional, teachable practices that remind people of what is possible and help us stay resilient on the journey. Get your copy here to equip your kids, not just for today but for life.

One day, the reader curled up on your couch might be the leader standing in front of a room, helping others feel seen and making the world a better place. Let’s give them stories that light the way. Raise a reader, and you’ll raise a leader.

📚 Raise a Reader, Raise a Leader Checklist

Use this quick guide to help you choose books that will feed your child’s heart and mind. Right click on the image and save as.  Save to your computer, tablet or phone and print.