How do you motivate a child

Science-Based Approaches for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers

Briefs

What’s the best way to motivate children? The intrinsic motivation to learn about the world around us begins in infancy. This type of motivation can either be encouraged or suppressed by the experiences adults provide for children. Psychological research points to a set of promising approaches that parents and practitioners can use to promote positive motivation and learning during development.

For more in-depth information about the science of motivation, read “Working Paper 14: Understanding Motivation: Building the Brain Architecture That Supports Learning, Health, and Community Participation.”

1. Follow babies’ lead.

   Babies naturally orient toward novel objects and events. They look away from objects that are overly familiar, but also from new ones that are too complex. This is sometimes called the “Goldilocks effect:” things are interesting when they are novel, but not too novel. When interacting with infants, notice what they pay attention to, and engage with them around their interests.

2. Elicit curiosity.

   Even infants seek to explore objects—especially those that behave in surprising ways. When they drop something on the floor or throw it, they’re trying to see what will happen next. Provide children with opportunities to interact with new objects—and let them lead and learn!

3. Encourage children’s playful exploration.

   When given the opportunity, children of all ages spontaneously engage in play. The ingredients of play are precisely the ones that fuel learning: play is intrinsically motivating, it presents an opportunity for novel experiences and for learning from others, it requires active engagement, and it can strengthen social bonds and reduce stress. When life is busy or chaotic, it can be hard to find the time and space to encourage children’s play, but this is an important aspect of development.

4. Prioritize social interaction during learning.

   In the digital age, there are many educational, computer-based applications designed for children, even as young as 6 months. However, even the best-designed and most effective apps cannot replace real-life social interactions with adults and peers. In one study, babies learned elements of language more effectively when face-to-face with a teacher or on video. Recent research shows that young children can learn from digital media, such as touch-screen tablets, but social interaction during this learning experience appears to be essential.

5. Challenge children just enough.

   Kids are motivated to work toward achievable goals. From infancy onward, effort is required to sustain motivation, but success must be possible. They lose motivation when a task is too easy, but also when it is so difficult as to be insurmountable. Video games harness this basic principle of learning effectively, constantly increasing the level of challenge based on an individual child’s performance. Try to adapt a challenge according to a child’s current capabilities, and provide prompt feedback on his or her performance.

6. Give children agency.

   

   
   

   Children are more motivated when they have some degree of self-determination, and can elect to pursue tasks that are personally meaningful. When they have a choice of projects, or at least a little wiggle room as to how a task gets done, children are more likely to stay engaged.

7. Provide incentives only when necessary.

   When children are suddenly rewarded for something they enjoy and do freely, they may begin to do it only when they know they will be compensated afterwards. Wherever possible, harness children’s natural curiosity and inclination to work toward an achievable goal, rather than promising a reward.

8. Praise the process rather than the outcome.

   

   When we praise children for their intellect or skill level—or the grade or gold medal they received—it can lead to a performance orientation. They may be motivated to achieve more rewards, but they may also learn to shy away from challenging activities that they might not excel at, for fear of negative evaluation. Performance pressure increases as children move up in school, and it is associated with depression and anxiety in addition to diminished joy of learning. When we praise children for their effort and help them see falling short as an opportunity to learn and improve (rather than simply focus on the outcome), they will be more motivated to work hard and more likely to believe that they can achieve what they put their mind to.

9. Maintain a close connection with adolescents.

   

   Adolescence is a period when many young people take risks and push boundaries. This trend reflects, in large part, a natural inclination toward novel and exciting experiences that maximize learning opportunities and are important in making the transition to independence. As teens become more motivated by the approval of their peers, it can be socially rewarding to follow risk-taking leaders or stand out by breaking boundaries. However, teens with close family relationships are less prone to risk-taking. High parental support and open dialogue are associated with fewer problem behaviors, including less substance abuse and delinquency. Be empathetic and supportive, knowing that youth are going through changes in their brains, bodies, and social relations that can make risky behavior appealing to them. Keep the lines of communication open—and keep close tabs on teens.

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7 Science-Proven Steps To Motivate Your Child

What type of motivation does your child have | What motivates your child and what does not | How to use extrinsic motivation | How to motivate a child

Here’s the brutal truth about how to motivate kids to study – not all motivations are created equal. Most parenting methods such as rules, consequences, and rewards don’t work because they create the wrong kind of motivation. Find out what motivates your child and how to effectively motivate them using 7 backed-by-research steps.

What Type Of Motivation Does Your Child Have

Motivation is the reason that underlines a child’s behavior.

There are two main types of motivation for kids: intrinsic and extrinsic.

• Intrinsic motivation refers to doing an activity for its inherent enjoyment.
• Extrinsic motivation refers to doing an activity, not for its inherent enjoyment but instead for a separable outcome.

Although these two types of motivations may result in similar behavior, there are differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in terms of qualities and sustainability of the behavior.

Studies have shown that when people engage in an activity out of intrinsic motivation, the quality of engagement and the results are both better^​1​.

In one study at the University of Rochester, researchers asked a group of undergraduate students to read an article and then record their emotions reading it. One week later, they tested the students’ ability to recall the information. Students who found the article interesting or enjoyable scored better than other students who didn’t in recalling and comprehending the information, even after accounting for their differences in verbal aptitude.^​2​

What Motivates Your Child And What Does Not

So, what motivates a child?

When it comes to motivating our kids, many parents use the “carrot and stick” approach, i.e. rules, consequences, rewards, or behavior charts.

Many people find quick success at the beginning, but it stops working after a while.

Even worse, sometimes it backfires.

Here is why…

When children are responding to the “carrot and stick”, they are acting on extrinsic motivation.

We’ve already seen that the quality of behavior resulting from the extrinsic drive is not as good as intrinsic.

On top of that, you have to keep using the carrot and stick for the desired behavior to continue.

That is simply not sustainable in the long term.

But there is a third reason why this is not an effective way to motivate…

Using carrots and sticks actually reduces a child’s intrinsic motivation, if there is any at the beginning.

Many studies have shown that when a reward (e.g. ice cream or video games) or a controlling factor (e.g. punishment or privilege removal) is introduced, a person’s intrinsic drive decreases.^​1​

In other words, if your child has some interest in an activity at the beginning, your carrot-and-stick “motivation” actually reduces your child’s intrinsic motivation.

A child has to enjoy an activity to be intrinsically motivated.

External rewards, praises, and punishment will not inspire a child’s interests to develop intrinsically.

It does the exact opposite.

Does that mean that our hands are tied and there is nothing we can do?

Not really. There is A LOT we can do to help our children succeed.

How To Use Extrinsic Motivation

If your child is not intrinsically motivated enough, we have to work with their extrinsic motivation.

Fortunately, not all extrinsic motivations are bad.

There are four types of extrinsic motivation. They lie on a spectrum of autonomy, from the least autonomous (externally regulated) to the most autonomous (integrated).

Among these four extrinsic motivations, integrated motivation is the most desirable form of motivation.

When people have fully identified and assimilated a cause to themselves, they develop integrated motivation.

So what does that mean?

That means a person has examined the cause and found it matches their own values and needs. They can then internalize a cause and have self-drive.

Because integrated motivation has many similar qualities as intrinsic motivation, helping children internalize a behavior is a great way to inspire internal motivation.

How To Motivate A Child To Study – 7 Science-backed Steps

1. Stop trying to motivate (the traditional way)

Your attempts to motivate your child to learn are most likely doing the exact opposite — demotivating your child.

To be intrinsically motivated is to enjoy an activity on its own.

If someone doesn’t enjoy an activity, no amount of pushing, bribing, or threatening can make them start to like it. It will only create a power struggle.

So the traditional ways to deal with a child’s lack of motivation — rewarding, praising, nagging, scolding, and punishing — are counterproductive.

Therefore, the best approach is to stop using these external factors to motivate.

2. Help them enjoy instead of controlling

Rewarding, praising, nagging, scolding, and negative consequences are ways to control someone’s behavior.

Being a controlling parent cannot motivate children to learn intrinsically. Applying pressure or offering an incentive can’t make an activity enjoyable.

Allow your child the freedom to take initiative. Having autonomy is an essential condition for intrinsic or integrated motivation to develop^​3​.

To help an unmotivated kid develop the right motivation, aim to inspire, not to control.

Note: Giving children options is just another way to control them. It may work on young children, but not on older kids.

The best approach is to show them how they can enjoy it in different ways.

• Show children that learning a new skill and mastering it is fun.
• Create a learning environment instead of a doing work situation. We learn to acquire new knowledge, not just to complete homework or get a good grade.
• Pique their curiosity in a new subjects by showing them the different uses of it.
• Let them choose activities according to the child’s interests without pressure.
• Celebrate success milestones together (but do not over-praise or praise conditionally).
• Support kids by providing constructive feedback, not criticism, that can enhance a sense of competence.
• When children are stuck at a problem, help them view it as a “challenge they can conquer”, not a “difficulty they need to overcome”.
• Do not refer to the activity as “children’s job”.
• Do not use a break from the activity, such as “No school work”, as a reward.

3. Help them internalize the importance

Some activities do not lend themselves well to enjoyment. If that’s the case, help your child develop integrated motivation.

Help them identify why an activity is important and help them internalize the need for it.

Children must grasp the meaning and worth of doing something to fully internalize it.

For example, training for soccer can be hard at times. But practicing is a critical and necessary part of becoming good at it. Help your child understand that if they want better results in soccer, they must practice even though it is not always enjoyable.

4. Help them decide and let them decide

Autonomy is crucial in creating intrinsic motivation or integrated motivation. Children have to make their own decisions to feel a sense of autonomy, a vital intrinsic motivator^​4​.

Most people are afraid that if they let their children make their own decisions, kids will inevitably make the wrong ones and fail.

Falling is an inevitable part of learning to walk. Making wrong decisions is an inevitable and important part of learning to make good decisions.

Give children opportunities to practice decision-making. If the activity is not health or safety-related, let them decide, with your guidance. Let them face the natural consequence.

For example, if a child refuses to do his homework, even after you explain the importance of it, let him face the consequence in school.

If the activity is not health or safety-related but you have a strong desire for your child to do it, it is important to understand why.

There are things children must do, such as going to school, which is not negotiable. But there are things only we believe children must do, but they actually don’t have to.

Children are not meant to live our lives. Just because we regret not playing the flute when we were kids doesn’t mean our children need to fulfill our dreams. Our kids have their own lives and their own dreams to pursue.

5. Find an optimal challenge

One of the best ways to inspire intrinsic motivation is to help kids enjoy feelings of accomplishment.

If an activity is too easy, a child will feel bored quickly. But if an activity is too hard, a child will feel discouraged or have self-doubt.

An optimal challenge is one that is slightly more difficult than what a child has already mastered, but is still achievable through practice and some hard work.

It is also important to help children gain a growth mindset.

Children develop a growth mindset when they believe that talent is not fixed, but malleable. Skills and mastery can improve through practice and hard work.

Let them know that the process of practicing and working through problems is what matters. Help and encourage them to practice.

When they finally master a new skill, that sense of competence will generate positive energy and become a significant internal motivator, setting their path to success.

Even if a child does not like an activity, they may engage in it if others they feel connected to value it.

Science tells us that a sense of belonging and relatedness can promote internalization^​5​. The emotional and personal bonds we form with others are great motivators.

If a child feels connected to someone who values a cause, they are more likely to internalize that value.

The importance of relatedness has been extensively studied in education due to its significance in students’ performance. In the classroom, when students feel respected and cared for by the teacher, they are more motivated to learn.^​6​

Parents play an important role in motivating kids. When you have bonded with your child, they are much more likely to listen to you, adopt your values, and become motivated if it is something that is important to you.

So how do you bond effectively with your child?

Studies show that parents who adopt an authoritative parenting style bond with their children more. These are parents are warm and responsive to their children’s needs. They have high standards and set limits for their kids.

Psychologists find that authoritative parents create an autonomy-supportive environment that can increase their children’s self-regulation and motivation in classrooms.^​7​

An autonomy-supportive environment is one in which parents value autonomy in their children. They encourage kids to choose and participate in solving problems. The home climate is democratic rather than autocratic.

7. Get involved

Another way to promote relatedness is to get involved in the activity. Having the whole family participate shows how much they value it.

One of the most reliable predictors of children’s school performance is the level of parental involvement in their kids’ learning process. ^​8,9​

For instance, in sports, you can coach or watch their games. During the school year, you can volunteer in the class. Get involved in their learning activities such as reading. Have a designated family reading time every night and you can bond at the same time.

Final thoughts on what motivates your child

Positive reinforcement is not always bad. Sometimes, we just want to give our young kids something to celebrate accomplishments. The important thing is not using it as a contingency, i.e. if you do this, then you get this. Any extrinsic rewards should be unexpected, offered only after the activity finishes, and not routinely given (because then your child will start to expect them). You can also offer praise, positive feedback, or improvement suggestions in place of tangible rewards. All of these can motivate your child for future tasks.

Once your child starts developing motivation, setting goals can help them increase their internal drive and give them a plan to follow.

Need Help Motivating Kids?

If you are looking for additional tips and an actual step-by-step plan, this online course How To Motivate Kids is a great place to start.

It gives you the steps you need to identify motivation issues in your child and the strategy you can apply to help your child build self-motivation and become passionate about learning.

Once you know this science-based strategy, motivating your child becomes easy and stress-free.

References

1. 1.

   Scott Rigby C, Deci EL, Patrick BC, Ryan RM. Beyond the intrinsic-extrinsic dichotomy: Self-determination in motivation and learning. Motiv Emot. 1992;16(3):165-185. doi:10.1007/bf00991650

2. 2.

   Ryan RM, Connell JP, Plant RW. Emotions in nondirected text learning. Learning and Individual Differences. Published online January 1990:1-17. doi:10.1016/1041-6080(90)90014-8

3. 3.

   Grolnick WS, Ryan RM. Autonomy in children’s learning: An experimental and individual difference investigation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1987;52(5):890-898. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.5.890

4. 4.

   Zuckerman M, Porac J, Lathin D, Deci EL. On the Importance of Self-Determination for Intrinsically-Motivated Behavior. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 1978;4(3):443-446. doi:10.1177/014616727800400317

5. 5.

   Ryan R, Deci E. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemp Educ Psychol. 2000;25(1):54-67. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10620381

6. 6.

   Ryan RM, Powelson CL. Autonomy and Relatedness as Fundamental to Motivation and Education. The Journal of Experimental Education. 1991;60(1):49-66. doi:10.1080/00220973.1991.10806579

7. 7.

   Grolnick WS, Ryan RM. Parent styles associated with children’s self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology. Published online 1989:143-154. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.81.2.143

8. 8.

   Griffith J. Relation of Parental Involvement, Empowerment, and School Traits to Student Academic Performance. The Journal of Educational Research. Published online September 1996:33-41. doi:10.1080/00220671.1996.9944441

9. 9.

   Jeynes WH. The Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Urban Secondary School Student Academic Achievement. Urban Education. Published online January 2007:82-110. doi:10.1177/0042085906293818

About Pamela Li

Pamela Li is a bestselling author. She is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Parenting For Brain. Her educational background is in Electrical Engineering (MS, Stanford University) and Business Management (MBA, Harvard University). Learn more

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How to motivate your child to learn: simple ways that will help you

Surely every parent has at least once wondered how to teach a child to be independent without hassle and disappointment? How to teach children to do homework with joy, to make the learning process exciting for the children themselves. Our new blogger Anna Chirkova tells how to work with children's motivation.

In recent years, the practice of teachers shows that the number of children who do not seek knowledge is constantly growing. It appears even in primary school students. nine0003

Unwillingness to learn is manifested in the fact that children forget to do their homework, their textbooks and desks are messy, they draw in class, look out the window, talk to classmates, they are bored in class. Such children may blame teachers for their poor grades, but most often they do not care at all about poor performance.

Why do children not want to study? Even teachers with experience are not always ready to unequivocally answer this question, but we will try to give the simplest and most effective ways to motivate your child. nine0003

There are many reasons why children do not want to study. Let's analyze some of them.

1. The child is too small for school. Parents think that their children are ready for school if they see that they know a lot for their age. But even if your child is smart enough, and you think not to take him an extra year to kindergarten, this does not mean that he is psychologically ready for school. Most likely, the child will not be able to obey certain rules. In addition, it is more difficult for young children to sit for a long time in the classroom without moving. nine0003

2. Conflicts with teachers. Often, even the teachers themselves are not aware of the conflict with their pupils. They may notice that the student has poor academic performance, his behavior has changed, although, as it seems to the teacher, there was no conflict as such. In fact, the child could hear unpleasant words addressed to him or hold a grudge against the teacher's behavior. The child may feel depressed, feel fear, he develops a negative attitude towards the teacher. In most cases, children do not want to tell their parents about their fears related to school, this preserves the conflict and the difficulties associated with it. nine0003

3. Conflicts with students. If such a problem has already developed, then it can be very difficult to correct it without consequences for the child.

4. Physical defects. For example, stuttering, trembling of the limbs, and others. It is very difficult for children to get used to the idea that they are somehow different from their peers. It becomes especially difficult in cases where the shortcomings cause bullying and laughter from classmates. Knowing about his problem, the child does not want to become the center of attention, feel humiliated and once again appear at school. nine0003

5. Family conflicts. Scandals between parents and other family members. Often such a child closes in on himself due to experiences, he not only loses his motivation for learning, he is rarely interested in anything at all.

6. Pressure on the child from parents and relatives . We set high standards for children, sending them to the best schools where education is conducted at a higher level, we enroll in various sections. Just imagine how many sections parents try to send their children to without taking into account the opinion of the children themselves. Parents scream, get indignant, scold children if they bring bad grades or simply do not reach the results of their classmates. Think about it, maybe you are putting too much pressure on the children, forcing them to do what they do not want. nine0003

What factors influence interest in learning

1. Interest in the subjects studied . Often, children lose interest in studying some subjects just because they seem boring to children. However, you need to make it clear to the child that in all lessons they give the necessary information that develops different skills, so it is important to study all subjects. There are many disciplines, the study of which requires more work. In this case, you need to find another motivation. Much depends on the teacher, who is able to explain complex things in simple language and thus simplify the learning process. nine0003

2. Method of studying objects . In elementary grades, it is much easier for children to learn with the help of active methods, discussions and games. The teacher should pay attention to the fact that tasks like “rewriting textbooks” and “working on our own” reduce interest in the subject, while creative and various unusual ones, on the contrary, increase.

3. Perception of information . Some children perceive information better through sight, others through hearing, others through images. The effectiveness of teaching children largely depends on the type of perception of information. Parents themselves can choose the ways of teaching the child if they understand his peculiarities of perception of information. nine0003

4. Teacher's interest . When a teacher intrigues students with a personal example, shows a positive attitude towards the subject, then children also become interested in what they are taught. When they know that they will hear something funny or interesting in class, they look forward to these items with joy.

What are the types of motivation

Motivation is one of the most important conditions for successful learning. The most significant for students are the following motives:

• cognitive, that is, the desire to know more, to become erudite;
• communicative - expanding the circle of communication through an increase in the intellectual level and new acquaintances;
• emotional;
• self-development - disclosure of one's abilities and talents;
• student position;
• achievements;
• external - rewards, punishments.

In addition, motives are divided into external (social) and internal (cognitive). An example of extrinsic motivation: "I need to pass the exam so that my parents don't scold me." Intrinsic motivation: "I really like literature lessons, so I read every free minute, I learn something new with every book I read." nine0003

There are two more types of motivation - stable and unstable. An example of sustainable motivation: "Since the day I entered the drawing school, I have never regretted that I chose this particular section." Unstable: “I went to a concert, I also wanted to play some instrument, I started studying, but after a while I quit.”

Most often, children's motivation is unstable due to the fact that they are very emotional. It is very easy to interrupt old ones with new emotions and impressions.

It is very difficult for a child who is not interested in learning to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, and the lack of motivation for the learning process leads to chronic academic failure. Why it happens? Often the parents are to blame. nine0003

Of course, only you can choose how to properly raise your child, but his and your life depends on this choice. Not all parents realize what mistakes they make in the process of motivating their children. Consider not all, but the most relevant of them, which are most often found among parents.

1. Lowering your child's self-esteem, programming for failure. This happens when you tell a child that nothing good will come of him, that he will become a janitor if he does not study well. Such words lead to an underestimation of self-esteem, in case of any failures, the child lets go of his hands, completes what he started at the slightest problem. nine0003

2. Deception and intimidation . If you use such methods, the connection and trust between you and your child will be destroyed.

3. Exaggerated demands, not taking into account the child's capabilities . The parent may think that the child is lazy or “not studying on purpose”, while there may be specific reasons (mental developmental features, illness, fatigue).

4. Gifts in exchange for good academic performance . There are many downsides to this method. The child quickly develops a habit of getting what he wants through good grades. In the future, he may begin to demand a reward and fulfill your requests only after receiving what he wants. Such children are only aimed at receiving presents, and not at good studies. nine0003

5. Motivated by success . Often, parents assure the child that all his actions should be aimed at success and high status in society. In the future, such children grow up to be people who do everything for the sake of success and money, and not because it brings them positive emotions or is aimed at helping loved ones.

6. Excessive workload in various activities and sections . Modern parents like to plan their children's schedule as tightly as possible so that they spend their time with benefit every day. The child's psyche may not be able to withstand such a load, so you will get a complete lack of interest in classes. nine0003

How to increase motivation to study

Play is a unique instrument of pedagogical influence. If the child does not want to learn or something does not work out for him, you can always come up with a game in which he will be able to complete the tasks you have given.

These can be intellectual exercise games, training games based on competition. They show schoolchildren the level of their preparedness and fitness. By comparing with the opposite team, students themselves see their gaps in knowledge, this encourages cognitive activity in them. nine0003

The game form does not involve standard student assessment, so even lagging children can be interested.

Do not impose your favorite activities, let him pursue his hobby. Help children discover their hidden talents or develop those they already have, let them freely choose what interests them.

Encourage the child, praise for the result, but do not do it in the form of money and in the form of expensive gifts. Otherwise, the time will come when the child wants to sell you the results of his labor at a higher price. For example, the rule "For every correct task - 1 candy" works much better than "For every five in the diary - a cake. " Candy is a kind of guarantee that difficult homework is done in an atmosphere of trust, which in itself is already a motivation. nine0003

Show him how to apply what he has learned, discuss his stories together. Encourage your child to think and discuss as often as possible. Remember that any grades are a subjective thing, this is not an indicator of your child's knowledge, but only his assessment by teachers.

A child does not have to be an excellent student, he has the right to receive bad marks. If he himself was upset because of the deuce - support and never scold. After all, first of all, you should be his friend and partner. nine0003

Tell the children how you yourself overcame difficulties in school, how you coped with difficult tasks. Show what you have achieved now that you have walked this path. Talk together about your failures and fears.

The child should always know that he will be heard, and problems will not be exaggerated. Explain that stress is an integral part of life, teach how to cope with it so that in the future the child can overcome it himself.

Motivation for learning does not develop overnight, sometimes it takes a lot of effort and time. If you have missed something in raising your child, it is never too late to start building your relationship on the basis of trust and understanding.

Do not motivate your child with distant and illusory goals incomprehensible to his age. Every parent must find where the potential of their children lies. Try to reveal his talents from different angles, give him the opportunity to prove himself. Look for inclinations in your children for some kind of activity, show by your own example that we are learning new things all our lives, that there are many interesting things in life. nine0003

Do not forget that in no case should you beat, humiliate, yell at a child, because school will end sooner or later, but your relationship will remain. According to the research of E. N. Volkova, the majority of children living in families in which severe physical, emotional, and other types of violence are used have signs of a delay in physical and neuropsychic development. Their memory deteriorates, the processes of memorization and retention are difficult, selectivity in memorization increases sharply. Attention becomes scattered, speech becomes poorer, stuttering appears. Children do much worse at school, the processes of school adaptation are more difficult. nine0003

Imagine what kind of person your child will be at the end of the learning journey. The time spent studying is very valuable for his formation as a person, do not miss it!

Photo: Shutterstock (granata68)

How to motivate your child to study - Tips on how to get your child excited about school

School is an important stage in a child's life. He receives the necessary knowledge, socializes and prepares for adulthood. But not all children love to learn. Some perceive study as a boring and useless pastime. But without interest and motivation, there will be no good results. Therefore, parents should try to captivate the student with studies, make sure that he likes it. Let's figure out how to motivate your child to study at school. nine0003

What determines good performance at school

The following factors influence a child's success in school

Personality of the teacher. In the educational process, much depends on the teacher himself. There are teachers who are able to explain even the most boring subjects in an interesting and exciting way. If the teacher knows how to organize the lessons in the classroom and present the material in such a way that the children like it, the student's progress increases significantly. A good teacher knows how easy it is to motivate a child to learn. nine0066

By knowing these factors, you can influence your son's or daughter's academic performance. nine0003

Motivating children: how to motivate a child to study

There are two types of motivation - external and internal. External motivation is the circumstances that make the child learn. They can be either positive (reward) or negative (punishment). Anything can act as a reward: praise from parents and teachers, respect from classmates, material incentives (money, gifts, sweets), receiving any opportunities (permission to go to the movies with friends, play computer games, go to summer camp and etc.). The child wants to get some of the above, so he tries to earn good grades. nine0003

TUMBLING does not support the idea of ​​praising with gifts, but with all hands "for" giving cool desktops for no reason :) cartoons, they won’t let you go on a picnic with friends). The fear of such deprivation motivates the student to study. A reward and punishment system can be an effective way to motivate a lazy child to learn.

Intrinsic motivation is associated with the educational activity itself and its significance for the student. Intrinsic motivation can also be positive and negative. Having a positive motivation, the child learns not in order to receive a reward or avoid punishment, but because he likes to do it, and he understands that knowledge will be useful in the future.

The negative motivation is the understanding that without a good study it will not be possible to enter a prestigious university and get the desired profession. The learning process itself may not be very interesting for a student, but the fear of not getting a decent education and becoming a loser in adulthood motivates him to study. nine0003

Internal positive motivation is the most productive. The desire to get a good education and become a sought-after specialist best stimulates the child. It is internal motivation that helps to overcome any difficulties and confidently go towards your goal.

How to captivate a schoolchild with studies: advice from psychologists

If your son or daughter is not particularly interested in studying, and you don't know how to motivate your child to study, psychologists' advice will help you.

Build the learning process in a playful way

Children love to play, so try making your homework fun. For example, when solving examples or problems in mathematics, you can use toys, sweets, buttons, small objects. Toys can act as characters described in the problem statement, and sweets or small items can act as counting material.

Show your imagination, try to explain the material using simple, everyday examples that are easy for a child to understand. And the learning process will bring pleasure not only to the student, but also to you. This is a simple example of how to motivate an elementary school child to study. With a teenager, of course, such methods no longer work. This requires his involvement in the learning process. nine0003

Learning by playing with TUMBLING

Support your child's hobbies

If your child likes to do something (sports, art, music or dance), support him. Create favorable conditions for doing what you love - send your son or daughter to a circle or section, organize a place for classes at home. Praise and encourage your child for success.

If he doesn't like one activity and wants to try something new, don't interfere. Let him seek himself, discover and develop his talents. Motivate your child to learn something and do what they like. Children who are passionate about something usually learn better than those who do nothing. nine0003

Don't focus on grades

For some parents, it's important that their child gets an "excellent" grade. They are not interested in knowledge, but in high marks. What's wrong with this approach? By focusing on grades, you distort the child's motivation. And he begins to study not for the sake of knowledge, but for the sake of "fives".

Children who are scolded by their parents for bad grades worry about every B, and a C in general becomes a tragedy. Such children are in constant tension, often begging for “five” from teachers, putting pressure on pity. It doesn’t matter to them how well they know the subject, it is important for them that the treasured number “5” is in the diary. nine0003

So shift the focus from grades to real knowledge. Praise the student not for the "five", but for the efforts that he makes during his studies. If he's upset about a bad grade, comfort him. Tell him that next time he will succeed, you just need to work hard.

Take an interest in your child's progress in school

Show a sincere interest in your child's school affairs. Ask how the day went, what new things he learned, what interesting things happened in the lessons. Discuss the material studied with your son or daughter, think about how new knowledge can be applied in life. nine0003

Tell your child about your school years, what subjects you liked and were good at, and which ones you didn't. Become a faithful comrade and a wise mentor for him, who will always help and support.

Organize a workplace

If a student does not have normal conditions for studying at home, his academic performance will be lame. Give him a place where he can calmly do his homework, and no one will interfere with him. Well, if it will be a separate room. If the student is doing homework in the common room, turn off the TV and try not to make noise when he is studying. Do not let younger brothers or sisters interfere with the student and distract him. nine0003

School helpers and whiteboards

Teach your child how to deal with stress

The learning process is stressful. Preparing for a difficult test, speaking in front of a class, and other moments cause stress that reduces the desire to learn. Explain to the student that stress is a normal reaction of the psyche to a collision with something difficult or unusual.

Tell your child how you dealt with fear and anxiety when you were in school. Teach him relaxation and stress management techniques. The child should know that in a difficult situation you will always help him. nine0003

Explain to your child why learning is important and why learning is important

It is difficult for younger students to understand how the knowledge they receive at school can be useful in the future. They perceive all talk about entering a university and about future work as something abstract and very distant.

Tell us about your personal experience, about how studying at school helped you succeed in life. Give examples from the life of relatives and acquaintances who are an authority for your child and whom he wants to be equal to. If there are no such people in your environment, remember the famous personalities who achieved success through hard work on themselves. nine0003

Notice positive changes

In order for a child to be motivated to learn, he must see the results of his work. For example, a first grader learns to write beautifully, develops handwriting. Save the notebook with the sloppy handwriting and then compare it with the notebook where the handwriting is better and show it to your child. Say that the handwriting has improved because of his efforts and will continue to improve if you put effort into it. The visual result of the work will increase the motivation of the student.

What not to do in order not to discourage interest in learning

There are things that should not be done, so as not to make the child disgusted with studies and school in general.

• Do not force your son or daughter to study . Oddly enough, but the surest way to discourage a child's interest in learning is to force him to study. Children do not like being forced to do something, they automatically have a rejection of things that they have to do through force. If a child does not want to learn, it will be difficult to motivate him. Try to organize the learning process so that he wants to learn on his own, without pressure from outside. nine0066
• Don't demand high performance in all subjects. It is rare that someone can perfectly know all school subjects. Most children have the ability to some specific sciences - exact (mathematics, physics) or humanitarian (history, geography, Russian or foreign languages). Find out which items are best for your son or daughter and focus on them. Of course, the rest of the lessons should not be abandoned, but it is also not necessary to force the child to learn everything perfectly. nine0066
• Do not focus on mistakes and failures. Some parents like to point out to their children every mistake. At the same time, successes are almost not noticed and taken for granted. This is the wrong strategy to motivate a child to study well. You need to do exactly the opposite: praise for successes and not pay too much attention to mistakes, perceiving them as an integral part of any training.
• Don't overpraise. Praise plays a big role in motivating a student. However, it is also impossible to overpraise the child. If you admire every "A" you get as if your child had passed a calculus exam, they will not have an incentive to strive for something more. Praise should be adequate to the success of the student. nine0066
• Do not overload your child. If a child attends several circles, helps you around the house, and besides this, he also sits with his younger brother or sister when you are at work, then he simply will not be able to study well. Sooner or later, overwork will make itself felt. Of course, studying at school is not a reason to free a son or daughter from all duties and affairs. We need to find a balance between work and leisure. The student should have enough time to do homework, relax and do other things. nine0066
• Don't focus on studying. Some parents and other relatives talk to their children only about studies, about grades, about school. This obsession irritates children and reduces their motivation to learn. The student begins to feel that adults are not interested in himself, but in his grades and achievements. Be interested not only in school, but also in other aspects of the child's life. He needs to know that you love him not for good grades.

In order for a child to become more motivated and more confident in his abilities, he should hear such words from his parents more often: “I believe in you”, “You will succeed”, “In any difficult situation you can turn to me for help”.

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