It can be tricky keeping up the momentum in your children’s motivation in school. We can all remember our own days at school, itchy for recess or even the final bell, when we can go about the rest of the day, doing activities we’ve been thinking about since that morning. And there is nothing wrong with your kids wanting that level of freedom to play video games, ride their bike, and a million other activities. But making sure your children understand the importance of school, and helping to motivate them, can make a world of difference!
The Basics
Whether it is August and your kid has only been back to school for a week, or it is February, and your child feels like school is never going to end, motivation can be hard to keep up with sometimes. Don’t we ever feel like we need motivation to go to work every day? Even if you might enjoy your job? Having your child look forward to school every day may be pushing it, but making sure they focus on the right things is attainable!
Motivation at its core revolves around feeling pumped to accomplish something, whether it is doing an activity or even thinking through a problem or next action. Everybody has a motivating factor, whether it is to gain more knowledge about a subject, discover the inner-workings of an item, or even just to accomplish the task to get it over with. If your child is not a huge fan of school, make sure they realize that it is not okay to skip it entirely, but to make due with what they have and work towards finding their niche. It may boil down to homeschooling down the road if they are truly unhappy, but finding the right motivating factor is usually easier than that.
Positive and Negative
On the other side of the spectrum, though, is making sure your kids want to do without getting something out of completing tasks. You do not want motivation to equal bartering with a child, as this can get out of hand and will most likely not teach anything meaningful to them in regards to responsibility. You want to praise them for doing the right things, such as completing homework without a fuss, or even looking forward to one subject of school. Let your child do the work themselves so they can feel accomplished, and want to continue that streak. Push them to figure out what they enjoy about certain school subjects or homework assignments, and help them to realize how they learn best. Do not give in to their temper tantrums or refusal to do work, as this can potentially set them up for avoiding tasks and responsibilities. Make sure your kids know that they will grow up and mature through motivating themselves and that it can help them get set up for success!
Katie Kyzivat