Motivating Your Children to Learn
How do you motivate your kids in your homeschool? I know that it can be really difficult to get everyone on board when you need them to do some school work. As I was pondering this idea, I remembered a time when I was student teaching. My cooperating teacher asked me to observe how she motivated the children during a particular lesson. It is an interesting thing to observe. It made me think about why someone would make certain decisions on the spot (which is really how teachers and moms make most of their decisions).
I thought that I would share a few things I have learned about motivating children. Motivating your child really boils down to the answer to one simple question: Why is the child unmotivated? Once you know that, you can figure out what to do about the situation.
- The frustrated child: This is a child who won’t do the work because the work is too hard. In order to motivate this child, you need to change the assignment. Maybe the book is too challenging right now, or the math concept is beyond his/her comprehension. It is time to end the lesson and move on to something familiar. Try something that your child has had success with in the past. You can always come back to difficult work at a later date.
- The child who is bored: This child already knows the information you are presenting, or the presentation does not speak to his/her learning style. Switch gears. Add an extra level of difficulty for kids who have mastered what is presented in the lesson. If learning style is the problem, try a different method like using a game.
- The child who is distracted: This child is paying attention to everything except what you are doing. Try taking a movement break. Sometimes getting the blood moving helps kids focus a little better. You can also break the assignment into smaller chunks of work and offer a small reward such as a sticker or a high five for completing each task. Try using a silly voice, sing about the work you are doing, wait quietly, or do something off the wall to get your child’s attention, too.
- The child who wants to test the boundaries: This child is the one who tries to make you mad or is sneaking around. This is a good time to set up a reward system. Catch this child making a good choice and offer praise, a sticker, a candy, or time on the computer as a reward. Set goals with this child in order to earn rewards.
These are just a few reasons that children are unmotivated to learn. Hopefully, some of these ideas will help you to motivate your children.
8 Responses to “Motivating Your Children to Learn”
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Thanks for this great post and ideas.
These are great tips. I know my child has times when she feels several of them at one time, frustrated/distracted/testing. When that happens, I say its time for a snack! lol We usually head back to the work with a smile and something yummy to munch on while doing school. It doesn’t work everytime but you gotta switch it up to keep them guessing sometimes.
This is a good framework to keep in mind when problems occur. Fortunately, in homeschooling we have so much flexibility to find ways to get the whole family excited about learning.
Last week, we took a break from “regular home school” (ha, whatever that is) to spend a few days in NYC on field trips. We learned so much, and had fabulous time!
Ok, so I’m looking at 1, 3, & 4! Ouch!
One thing that has really helped get us through our days are:
? Behavior/Work Star Chart – if my son can get through his 6 lessons by staying deligent and focused – he gets 2 stars. At the end of the week, he gets a treat from WalMart (sm toy, movie, comic etc).
? At the end of our home school day, no matter what – he does get to put a sticker on our Welcome sign to see how colorful it will be at the end of the year. ?
Now the Star Chart was his idea and so far he’s not liking it! LOL I do tell him, it will get easier as he stays focused and pushes himself to get the work done.
Just wanted to share. Hugs!
Maybe setting smaller goals for the star chart will help. He could earn a sticker for getting through 1 lesson & 2 stickers for really staying focused during the lesson. Sometimes at the end of the day it is helpful to discuss what went well during the day and why. Sometimes we even talk about what helped the kids do well – encouragement, breaks, etc. Then we can capitalize on that the next day.
I hope that helps!
Well, I took your much needed advice first thing this morning. Before we started any of our “subjects”, after our prayer time/devotionals – we had Praise & Worship and he danced like crazy! It was actually very entertaining! lol I guess the Holy Spirit gave your comment while I was sleeping or something, but I decided after every subject [if he did well], he would get a mini sticker so at the end of the day – he could put ALL his stickers on our welcome sign. He loved the idea and worked really hard! Then we put the Big stars on the chart for the previous days Sunday-church/awana and Monday-Co-Op. So we had a good day even though he still wiggled, air drummed, hummed, sang while we worked. I only require he play “statue” while he reads, so I don’t really mind the wigglying during all the other subjects.
But thank you again for all your ideas and support! =)
Oh I put the stickers on his shirt… and when my husband came home from lunch, he had 4 so he was really proud!
We also do Awana, HS Co-Op Reviews, Bible study after our w/ prayer/devotionals, writing the date on the board and doing our pledges; Bible, Christian Flag, American Flag and Texas Flag before we start our other subjects. It sounds like a lot but it’s not… only the subjects can last up to 30-45 minutes.
=)
Great I’m loving your website.