How to keep children motivated

As parents and educators, we have the privilege of witnessing the growth and development of our children. From their first steps to their graduation, we celebrate their milestones and accomplishments. However, achieving these feats requires consistent effort and persistence. While some children are naturally motivated and eager to learn, others may need external guidance and internal motivation from parents, teachers, and tutors.

In today's ever-changing world, where technology and information are constantly evolving, it is crucial to equip children with the skills and mindset necessary to thrive. Motivation and focus are key components of successful learning, enabling children to adapt, persevere, and excel in various aspects of their lives. 

By instilling effective strategies for motivation, we can empower our children to navigate the challenges of remote learning, embrace continuous growth, and develop a lifelong passion for learning. Interested in learning more about how you can build motivation in your child? Check out our tuition services or find a centre near you to see your child reach their full potential.

Setting Goals to Motivate Kids

Taking a structured approach to learning is vital to keeping children on track. Start by setting small goals and celebrating each achievement. These goals not only provide a clear roadmap for children to follow but also establish a sense of structure and routine in their learning. 

Regular check-ins and progress discussions allow parents to provide support, guidance, and praise for their child's efforts. By gradually increasing the complexity and difficulty of the goals over time, children can develop resilience, perseverance, and the motivation to tackle more significant challenges.

Personalised Goal Setting

Children can easily become frustrated if they feel they are not succeeding. Empowering children with opportunities for them to set realistic individual goals is essential to shifting their negative attitudes into positivity. These goals can be short-term or long-term, depending on the child's specific needs and aspirations.

Break down these goals into manageable steps and create a detailed plan to help children develop essential skills such as time management, problem-solving, self-doubt, and organisation. This structured approach not only provides them with the right direction and a sense of direction but also instils the intrinsic motivation needed to do difficult tasks, navigate obstacles, and progress towards success.

Rewards and Celebrations

In the world of young learners, every achievement is an opportunity to reinforce good behaviour and motivate children towards further success. Rewards and celebrations should align with the magnitude of the accomplishment. 

For example, completing a daily reading goal might warrant a small reward or heartfelt praise to motivate your child, while a major accomplishment such as earning a top grade or certificate could be celebrated with something special that motivates your child to strive for their goals. By celebrating their efforts and progress, parents not only boost their children's behaviour and motivation but also cultivate a mindset that values hard work and continuous improvement.

Recognising Effort and Encouraging Progress

As parents, our approval and support mean the world to our children. They thrive on encouragement and praise, and every accomplishment and effort is an opportunity to encourage kids to reinforce positive behaviour. In addition to setting goals and recognising their effort, it is crucial to provide them with positive reinforcement, such as rewards and incentives, to celebrate accomplishments.

These tangible rewards can take various forms, including certificates, engaging activities, free time, or material goods. If you notice that your child is working hard to succeed, offering something special as motivation can have a significant impact on encouraging them to continue striving and achieving their goals.

Creating a Supportive Environment

Children thrive on encouragement and praise, and ensuring they feel supported and secure is crucial. Confidence in tackling new challenges and setting ambitious goals is easier when kids learn they have a supportive environment and safety net. While not every goal will be achieved, providing support encourages children to try their best and maintain their intrinsic motivation, even when they don't achieve the desired outcome.

The learning environment plays a vital role in nurturing children's motivation and focus. Creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where children feel safe, valued, and encouraged is essential. Clear expectations, positive relationships, and opportunities for collaboration and peer support contribute to their sense of support. When children feel supported by their parents, teachers, and peers, they are more likely to take risks, explore new ideas, and persist in the face of challenges.

Moreover, a well-organised and engaging physical and virtual learning environment enhances children's interests and intrinsic motivation. Providing necessary resources, incorporating interactive and hands-on learning experiences, and effectively utilising technology can spark curiosity and foster a love for learning.

Encouraging Autonomy and Ownership

Promoting children's motivation also involves fostering a sense of autonomy and ownership over their learning journey. When children feel a sense of control, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged. Encourage them to take an active role in setting their learning goals, making decisions about study methods, and reflecting on their progress.

Opportunities for social interaction, independent exploration, problem-solving, and decision-making motivate children to cultivate their sense of responsibility and ownership of schoolwork. By empowering children to take ownership of their own choices in learning, parents and educators can instil intrinsic motivation and a lifelong love for learning in young kids.

Positive Role Models and Extra Support

The examples children see at home and in the classroom significantly influence their motivation. If your child is struggling to stay focused on their math homework, engaging with them and learning alongside them can provide motivation. If you lack proficiency in the subject, finding a role model who can provide support, professional advice, and guidance is beneficial.

This role model could be a family member who excels in the subject or an after-school tutor who acts as a positive role model and mentor for older kids. NumberWorks'nWords, specialise in math and English and provide additional support and motivation for young students. Observing an older student tackle complex problems with ease helps children see their potential and motivates them to overcome their limitations.

Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation

While external motivation and rewards play a significant role in keeping children motivated, cultivating a child's lack of intrinsic motivation is equally important. Intrinsic motivation refers to the internal desire for more effort and the drive to engage in an activity for its own sake rather than for external rewards. Creating a learning environment that is stimulating, engaging, and relevant to children's interests is key to fostering high intrinsic motivation throughout.

Encouraging children to learn through their curiosity, providing opportunities for exploration and discovery, and allowing them to pursue projects or topics they are passionate about gives them a sense of ownership over their learning. By using positive energy and emphasising the joy of learning and the satisfaction of personal growth, children are more likely to develop a lifelong love for learning and remain motivated, even when faced with challenges.

Building Resilience and Overcoming Setbacks

In the journey of learning and achieving for kids, setbacks and failures are inevitable. Teaching children how to bounce back from setbacks and maintain their motivation in the face of adversity is crucial to their future success. Reframing failures as learning opportunities to support kids and emphasising the importance of perseverance helps them develop resilience.

Encourage children to reflect on their experiences, identify areas for improvement, and set new goals to keep moving forward. Help them understand that setbacks are not indicators of their worth or abilities but rather stepping stones towards growth and personal development. By instilling resilience and self-motivation in children, they will be better equipped to have emotional problems, navigate obstacles, maintain their self-motivation throughout, and ultimately achieve their goals.

Developing a Growth Mindset

Cultivating a growth mindset is essential to fostering motivation and resilience in children. A growth mindset is a belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, perseverance, and learning from mistakes. Encouraging children to embrace challenges, view setbacks as opportunities for growth, and believe in their ability to improve significantly impacts their motivation and achievement.

Parents and educators can promote a growth mindset by providing specific, positive feedback that focuses on effort, progress, and strategies employed rather than solely praising innate abilities. Emphasising the value of hard work, resilience, and a willingness to learn from failures helps children develop a mindset that fosters self-confidence, self-determination, self-esteem, and a lifelong love for learning.

Exploring After-School Tutoring Programmes

When additional support is needed, seeking outside help can be beneficial. After-school resources, such as tutoring programmes, can offer vital support and motivation when a child is struggling to stay on track. Tutors specialise in helping and motivating children to succeed in their school studies, acting as positive role models, mentors, and motivators for other students.

These programmes empower children to become confident, self-motivated, and diligent learners. NumberWorks'nWords provide math and English tutoring, offering personalised support tailored to the child's needs. Through positive reinforcement and constructive feedback and by setting an example through their behaviour, tutors inspire and motivate young learners to reach their full potential.

These efforts help children develop a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom, enabling them to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and achieve their full potential. To discover how NumberWorks'nWords tuition can motivate students and build resilient learners, contact your nearest centre or book a free assessment.