How to motivate your child to learn

Does your child love to learn simple present tense example, and rushes to do his homework as soon as he comes home from school? Unfortunately, for many parents this is more of a dream than a reality. Much more often children postpone schoolwork until late at night, forget their notebooks and procrastinate under a variety of excuses.

If neither gifts nor threats have no effect, how do you regain interest in school? Let’s look at this article.

Why does the child not want to study

Children don’t want to study, because they have no motivation to learn. There may be different reasons for this.

Difficult, not understandable
There are gaps in his knowledge, the lesson is not remembered, or the material was served in such a way that the child didn’t understand it completely. In this case, it becomes maximally difficult to do the exercises, so all the gaps should be eliminated. Otherwise, the brain will try to avoid difficulties and look for as many reasons as possible not to learn.

Not developed basic mental functions (memory, attention, logic)
Having good grades and a love of learning is simply impossible without developed cognitive skills. Memory and attention are linked, because it is impossible to remember what you have not paid attention to. These skills are not specifically trained, and yet there is more and more information at school every year. The good news is that memory and attention can be developed independently.

Not interested
The subjects which do not arouse the child’s interest are most often among those with which difficulties arise. The motivation that has the most impact on children is process. Why waste time and energy on a boring lesson that, moreover, seems unnecessary and unimportant?

No Reward.
If a child thinks that the resources (time, effort) spent on learning are little in line with the reward they will receive, they will also try to keep themselves away from such useless activity.

Problems at school or at home
Conflicts with classmates or with teachers also will not add motivation – the focus of attention will involuntarily shift from gaining knowledge to solving problems. The same applies to family problems.

Excessive pressure
Pressure from parents and teachers also sometimes perceived by the child in a negative way, which kills the love of learning at the root. Yes, perhaps he will do his homework, but only under parental control and exactly what was assigned. And once the control is gone, there will be no trace of the desire to learn.

Motivating children to learn
To motivate a child and return his interest in learning, it’s worth to understand what kinds of motivation exist. According to the “Encyclopedia of Child Motivation” there are several.

Internal and external
External motivation affects your child from outside – from parental guidance, teachers’ control, promises of awards, grades or punishments.

Intrinsic motivation depends on the child and is based on interest, curiosity, pride and self-esteem. In another case, it is based on a sense of shame and expectation of punishment.

Positive and negative
Positive motivation is based on receiving a reward: moral (pride and satisfaction) or tangible (good appreciation, affection, deliciousness or a gift).

Negative motivation is based on inner dissatisfaction, shame, fear, pain, debt, excessive negative feedback.

Permanent and temporary
Permanent motivation is one that requires no additional reinforcement: praise or reward. Temporary, on the other hand, requires constant reinforcement and interest. It will disappear without regular encouragement.

As a rule, children focus more on external motivators, and their interest in learning requires regular reinforcement – like an airplane requires refueling. At the same time, intrinsic motivation is much stronger and more stable than extrinsic motivation, and positive long-range motivation is more promising than negative motivation. To form constant positive intrinsic motivation it is necessary to instill in the child a sense of success, to show that he or she can easily cope with learning.

How to motivate your child to learn: tips for parents
Reject negative motivation
Punishing a child with a belt, a fine or other deprivations is impossible to instill a love of learning. On the contrary, he will only strengthen the idea that all his troubles are only because of math or English. In addition, any manifestation of negative motivation traumatizes the child’s psyche. More: https://argoprep.com/blog/simple-present-tense/.

Refuse to be pressured

Demanding certain marks and regular conversations about the fact that you will not succeed in life without them, only increase stress and make a child panic at the slightest difficulty, “I’m a failure anyway. The same effect can be achieved by regularly comparing a child with classmates or “mom’s girlfriend’s son.

Avoid excessive loads
If the abundance of sections and a busy schedule cause only fatigue and difficulties at school, it’s worth reducing the load, so that there would be time for a proper rest and understanding of what really matters to him.

Teach Kids to Learn
For children, especially at the younger age, it’s not so much the results that count, but the process itself. If learning is interesting and successful, then this habit will quite quickly begin to take hold. Every parent can teach kids to cope with school workload.

Emphasis on achievements
Instead of scolding your child for a bad job, find something to praise him for: for his accuracy, for some parts of the work that he did well, for the correct answers to questions on the test, even if they were only two. Praise is another secret key to a child’s motivation.

Be interested in knowledge, not in grades
Grades are not an indicator of knowledge. Remember that even recognized geniuses often got reprimands and bad marks. More often discuss what the child has learned and memorized, and how this knowledge can be applied. So you’ll shift the focus from unnecessary grades and comparisons to what really matters.

Agree

You shouldn’t punish or manipulate your child, but you can always come to an agreement. An agreement has a mutually beneficial and voluntary format, and, in addition, requires a serious attitude from both the child and the parents. The correct formula is: “If you do this, you get a carrot, and if you don’t do it, then the carrot is yours. In this way, the child learns not only to fulfill his obligations, but also to take responsibility for the consequences. Read the article on how to make a proper contract with your child.

Set an example
A parent’s example can inspire as well as deprive you of any desire to learn. It is useless to tell your child about the benefits of reading, if you have never once in a year took up a book. And how to prove that you need to learn, if the family broadcasts a completely different behavior? Learn together with your child and set a personal example.

By following these tips, you can not only motivate your child to learn, but also awaken in him the spirit of exploration, which will be very useful beyond the walls of school.