As a parent, I’m sure you understand the importance of motivating your child. You probably have personally experienced moments where you felt your motivation was lost, and you realize how discouraging it can be. For children that loss of motivation is something that can happen a lot easier, and have wider negative affects on their overall progress. It is very easy for people to get distracted while working, or lose motivation in their work. Have you ever heard your child say they’re getting bored, or they don’t feel like doing something? Well, there is good news. There are ways to encourage them, and show them that motivation is important. With the right steps, a kid can accomplish anything.
In an educational study done on the correlation between motivation and achievement, it is
shown that motivation has a great effect on learning and behavior. There are several
reasons why the parents should enforce this, and why kids should learn this. It is important for the parents to encourage this motivation because motivation wields many positive effects on knowledge, performance, and emotions. For example, motivation increases the amount of effort and energy that learners expend in activities directly related to their needs and goals (Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura, 1989; Maehr, 1984; Pintrich et al., 1993). Aside from this, the kids will realize working hard is important when they have parents encouraging them, and they will take these lessons along with them no matter what work they do. If the kids are motivated, then they will not only finish all their work but they will do it with actual enthusiasm and learn much more.
Genie Academy recognizes that all kids have a lot of potential; they just need something that sparks their motivation.
5 Steps We Use to Motivate Children in Genie Academy
- Make sure kids split time working independently and working with other children. Motivation comes from learning from different settings and the more exposure they get to these settings, the more likely they will be to want to get their work done.
- While they are working, they should have a break in between. Sometimes it is easy to get distracted, especially if there is more than an hour of work. Whether it is a small walk, or grabbing a snack, these can pump up their energy and make them even more motivated.
- After their break, talk to them! Let them know that they are appreciated, and it is okay to mess up at times as long as they keep trying. Words mean a lot to people and knowing that they have people by their side can only help them.
- Set goals. If the child knows that they have a goal to reach, they will not let a break stop them from going back to where they left off.
- After their work is done, remember hard work is paid off. Whether it’s a simple incentive, or praise, they will see their efforts are being appreciated and will be more motivated. At Genie Academy, we have sticker sheets and stars to encourage our students because we strongly believe in recognition.
Last, but not least, you want to keep reminding them to work hard. This way, they do not lose their motivation after one task is done. Then, you’re ready to see your child take everything you’ve taught them and they’ve learned, and start putting in more time and effort into work. And you know what the best part is? Anything that seemed “impossible” or “hard to handle” before suddenly becomes a lot easier.
Want to learn more about motivating your kids? Come in and speak to one of our teachers today, and while you’re at it schedule a free assessment for your child as well!
