🍑 Special Edition Blog | National Eat a Peach Day: What a Giant Peach Can Teach Us About Leadership

Today is National Eat a Peach Day but what if a peach wasn’t just a fruit? What if it was an adventure, a classroom activity, and a lesson in leadership all rolled into one? This Special Edition Blog shares more about leadership and Finnish Pedagogy.

Many of us know Roald Dahl’s classic story James and the Giant Peach. At first glance, it’s a quirky children’s tale filled with imagination. But beneath the surface, it’s a powerful metaphor for belonging, collaboration, and the kinds of leadership our students need to practice in school.

Why a Peach?

In the story, James discovers courage, builds friendships, and learns to lead not by standing above others, but by working alongside them. Each character inside the peach plays a different role, and their survival depends on shared responsibility.

Isn’t that what we want our classrooms to look like? Spaces where every student quiet or bold, shy or confident has a role to play in making learning meaningful.

Leadership Beyond the Text

Using literature as a springboard for leadership means students aren’t just reading about characters, they’re becoming them.

• Younger learners can explore with curiosity: tasting fruit, planting seeds, and imagining the adventure of being inside a giant peach.

• Middle grades can practice ICT and collaboration: redesigning conflicts, rotating group roles, and story boarding new endings.

• Upper grades can dive into critical thinking: analyzing leadership choices, debating who should have led, and rewriting the story with a new vision.

  
  

Why This Matters

When students see leadership as something they can practice in playful, meaningful ways, it grows beyond the classroom. They build empathy, communication skills, and confidence to take risks. A peach becomes more than a fruit, it becomes a pathway to student voice.

🍑 Ready to Bring the Giant Peach Into Your Classroom?

In honor of National Eat a Peach Day, we’ve designed a special one-day literacy lesson:👉 Inside the Peach: Leadership, Belonging, and Storytelling

This ready-to-use lesson connects literature, leadership, and student voice adaptable for Grades 1–9. It’s packed with:

• 🌱 Age-appropriate K-W-L discussions

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Leadership & collaboration stations

• ✍️ Creative reflection activities

• 🎬 Optional film connection with James and the Giant Peach

  
  

💡 As a Rekla resource, every purchase also earns you Rekla Roots through our Rekla Rewards Program 'roots' you can harvest for discounts, free bundles, and access to future global teacher tools.

✨ Pair this lesson with our Behavior & Belonging Collection (Grades 1–12) to create a strong foundation of community and leadership in your classroom.

👉 Download the One-Day Themed Lesson Here

👉 Explore the Behavior & Belonging Bundles by Grade Level:

1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12.