They say that leaders are born, not made. But leadership is a skill that can be learned, and these lessons can be learned as early as childhood.
Unstructured play, where children aren't being directed or told how to play, allows children to learn how to lead. They become leaders of their groups and direct their own play.
Research shows that about 30% of leadership behaviours can be traced back to genes, which leaves 70% to contextual factors, such as training and development.
You'll see it anytime there is a group of kids together gathered around a jungle gym in the playground. One of them will step up to be the leader and come up with the game, but they'll listen to input from others in their group, and if someone else comes up with a better idea, they'll openly and honestly discuss it, quickly resolve any issues and move back to playing. Even if this results in a change of leader. Children do this instinctively. Giving everyone a chance to develop their leadership skills.
Playing in this unstructured way teaches children to be compassionate and to listen to the will of the masses, to develop a vision of what they want to achieve, to make decisions quickly, to organise, to communicate, to plan, problem solve and resolve conflict to reach that vision. Good leaders are the ones that can hold on to those skills that they learned on the playground.
A jungle gym provides a free play environment where children can learn leadership skills