American
Washington at Valley Forge
A freezing, hungry winter camp, food running low, and a general whose soldiers were watching what he did — deciding whether to stay.
This Week · Leadership and Character · Presidents' Day
Leadership and Character: what makes someone a leader people trust?
For littler ones: Who do you think people want to follow — and why?
Presidents' Day is a good week to ask the question underneath the holiday: what makes someone a leader people trust? Not who's loudest, not who's in charge — who people actually choose to follow, and why. It's worth turning over in the car or at the table, because the answer usually isn't the one you'd guess.
This week's stories
American
Garfield and the Canal-Boat Lock
Long before anyone called him President, a boy named James worked a canal boat — and the way he handled himself there says as much about a leader as any speech.
Talk about it
- Who is someone you'd actually want to follow — and what is it about them?
- Washington stayed in the cold with his soldiers instead of leaving for somewhere warm. What do you think his soldiers noticed?
- Is a person you trust always the person in charge? When are they not the same?
A new question every week.
Listen together in the app — short audio stories for kids 4–10, at bedtime, on the drive, in the drop-off line.
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