When it comes to child education staying motivated or getting motivated to do anything sometimes can be hard. Children are special because, at a certain age, they lack focus and enthusiasm, then they suddenly get some and at some age, usually around puberty they find it hard to focus and motivate to do any reading, studying or anything else for that matter.
Since this is what happens to most of us, we decided to make an article about this topic. Motivation is something that isn’t hard to find and keep but it may cause you problems.
More and more often even older persons find it hard to be motivated to do anything but what we are glad about is that these steps or tricks if you want may help both age groups if you adjust them a bit.
There are several ways you can motivate your kids to read at school and home as well and one of those is the children’s reading subscription box while the rest will be explained a bit more down below, so keep reading.
Before we dive into the tips for motivation let’s tell you about a certain thing that influences motivation in the first place. That thing is a concept called the Locus of Control and it is defined as a degree to which you have control over your life.
Now that doesn’t mean much to you but hold on, we will explain it a bit more. There is an internal and external Locus of Control.
If you constantly tell someone that they are doing a good job because they are smart and gifted then you will lead them to believe in what is called an External Locus of Control. You lead them to believe that the factors outside of what they can control are the reason for them doing well.
On the other hand, if you constantly tell someone that they are doing well because they are trying and working hard, they will start to believe in what is called an Internal Locus of Control. They will believe that there were factors they could control that lead them to a good job or positive outcomes. Thanks to their hard work they are where they are.
Why did we mention this? Well, research that was done time and time again proved that having an internal Locus of Control is key to staying motivated, almost constantly. You need to feel like you control your life and that you are responsible for the things that happen to you if you want to feel and stay motivated.
Now that we have told you this, rather important thing for motivation, let’s dive into some tips you can use on your kids and others today and motivate them to do things, read more or study more.
1. Reward system
This may be sounding a bit different, almost like you are an animal trainer, but reward systems for tasks well done are not effective only on animals. Every one of us believes that whatever we work on or whatever we do, we should receive a proper reward for it. this is the same in children.
Have your kid study for a certain time and if they complete their part of the deal then you should properly reward them. Since you are working with children make sure you explain how this system works, so you don’t have any misunderstandings along the way.
2. Inspire with goals
When young child learns for the first time, when they read, when they draw, they can feel that these things are pointless and that there is no real reason to do these things. This is where you can explain what studying can lead to, what benefits that are and where it can take them.
3. Enroll them on subjects that they are interested in
There is nothing worse for motivation than having someone push you toward something you don’t like. Parents often make these mistakes and push their children toward things they liked but never managed to do. Sit down with your kids, listen to them and find out what they like and push them in that direction.
4. Teach them to study and read
This seems a bit silly saying like this but everyone can study and read, but learning and knowing what you read is a bit difficult. This is where you as a parent have to sit down and explain to them how to learn instead of just memorizing what they read.
They need to understand that and when they do, they will hardly forget it. the same thing goes with reading. Anyone can read a book, but knowing what you read, and understanding the fine print and the message behind that is something different. When you get all that then you can truly understand what you have read.
5. Fun
Fun is an important thing in everything, especially motivation. There is no motivation without at least a bit of fun. Doing something boring simply because you have to means no fun in that and means no motivation to do it. this is where parents have to help their children in learning and reading by making it fun for a while until they manage to search for the fun for themselves in those books.
For very young kids flash cards are an awesome thing, for a bit older kids graphical things help way more than text but, again try to think out of the box and use different methods until you find something that will motivate them and work for them. No child is the same.
At the end of all this, making kids interested in something other than a smartphone, tablet or pc is a feat in itself. We don’t say that it is completely bad but those as well should come with some limitations. For some time, you will have to work with your kids and it will mostly be throughout games. This is the best way that they learn and the best way you can motivate them to learn.
After that you will have to get more serious and find other means of motivation, meaning you will have to get creative. Again, no child is the same and not one trick or tip works for all children. These are generalisations on what you have to do, but keep in mind that you will have to adjust for your kid and their specific likes and dislikes.
