Motivation can be a tricky topic. A student’s lack of motivation can cause personal struggles and conflict at home and in the classroom.
It’s important to pay attention to this lack of motivation. Is it on Tuesdays and Thursdays when your child has a specific class? The issue may not be motivation at all. It could be the teacher or even another student in the class.
Keeping a child motivated can be as simple as keeping the doors of communication open. Would you listen if your child told you the boy behind her was always poking her?
Your willingness to listen may be all it takes for your child to come up with her own solution.
Another motivation stealer is negative self-beliefs. They can show up in every part of our lives, but for a student, a common one is “I’m dumb. I can’t do it.” Help your child to think differently. Help him to see the things he can do and has learned. Teach him if he’s learned this much, there’s no reason he can’t learn more.
As a parent, you are a motivational factor in your child’s life. Show interest in what your child learns and does. Your child will learn that he has value and that the things he does have value.
Don’t set up unreal expectations. There will be failures and your children will need to learn to accept that. They will also need to develop the grit to get up and try again. For your part, praise genuine effort. Praise the hours of practice your child puts into a sport, a musical instrument, or a spelling bee.
Finally, action can lead to motivation. If you’ve taken one step, it’s easy to take another and another until you’re approaching your goal.
If these ideas are helpful to you, you should consider watching my Motivate Your Children to Succeed interview series happening Oct 4-17, 2021 at www.studyforsuccess.live/getmotivated
These ideas and more are developed further by guests that include a rapper, a college professor, and everything in between. Remember, it’s the motivated who succeed.
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