How to Motivate Your Child to Learn

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2009
Motivate Your Child

Did you know that the motivation of your child is one of the most important factors in determining how well he or she will do in school? The thing about children is that they are highly motivated by rewards. That’s why it’s so important to provide them with a sense of accomplishment and achievement! In this blog post, we’ll cover 5 simple ways to motivate your child – everything from praising their accomplishments to giving them incentives for doing homework.

What Type Of Motivation Does Your Child Have

As a parent, how do you know what type of motivation your child has?

Well, it’s pretty easy to tell. If they are motivated by rewards (money or materialistic things), then that is extrinsic motivation.

On the other hand, if they are intrinsically motivated – meaning their desire for learning and doing well in school drives them without needing external incentives like money – then this is considered having internalized motivation.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

How can you figure out which one your child falls under? A good way to approach this question is by thinking about how much effort your children tend to put into something when there isn’t an incentive involved.

Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is when people do something because they want to. Extrinsic motivation is when people do things because of other reasons, like money or rewards. Intrinsic motivation is more stable and better than extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is driven by personal interest or enjoyment in the task itself. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from external factors such as rewards or punishments.

One of the key distinctions between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is that intrinsic motivation is more sustainable. Intrinsically motivated children are more likely to continue engaging in behavior even after the incentive is gone because they have a genuine interest in it.

Extrinsically motivated children, on the other hand, may engage in behavior while there is an incentive but stop when the incentive goes away.

This is because their engagement was driven mainly by the external factor rather than their interest or desire.

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation is when someone does something because they want to get an award. Extrinsic motivation is more likely to harm your child’s learning and development over time. Extrinsically motivated children are more likely to engage in the undesired behavior again because they may only be interested in how others perceive them rather than how their work or achievements make them feel about themselves.

If you want your child to learn how to do something, whether it’s how to ride a bike or how to solve math problems, giving him an external reward for completing tasks isn’t going to motivate him long-term. It might give him that added push he needs at first but eventually, his interest will fizzle out. While this doesn’t mean that teachers shouldn’t use rewards as part of their teaching strategy.

Studies have shown that when people engage in an activity out of intrinsic motivation, the quality of engagement and the results are both better​.

Intrinsically motivated children are more likely to be creative and innovative, while extrinsically motivated children may simply do what is asked of them without questioning or exploring beyond the bare minimum.

There are many ways to motivate your child, depending on their personality type and interests.

In this study at the University of Rochester, researchers asked a group of undergraduate students to read an article then they recorded their emotions.

They gave the children a list of 30 words with which they were not familiar, then tested their memory later in the week. The intrinsically motivated students recalled more of the information than those who were extrinsically motivated.

So how do you figure out what type of motivation your child has? One way is to ask them how they feel when they are learning a new skill or task.

Do they enjoy it for its own sake, or are they simply doing it to please you or get a reward?

What Motivates Your Child And What Does Not

Many parents employ the “carrot and stick” technique, which includes rules, consequences, bonuses, or behavior charts, to encourage their children.

Many people find success at the beginning, but it stops after a while. Some people also make mistakes.

First of all, how do you recognize that your child needs some help to be more motivated in school or life in general?

Here are a few signs: he gets bored very quickly; she is always distracted by her phone during homework time; his grades drop suddenly and they don’t improve even with additional study sessions.

So what motivates kids the most? Find out below! But keep in mind, it may differ from person to person, so these tips can work for one kid but not necessarily another one.

So experiment until you find out what works best for your little student or just go through them all if needed – pick whatever seems right at this moment!

When children are responding to the “carrot and stick”, they are acting on extrinsic motivation. We’ve already seen that the quality of behavior resulting from the extrinsic drive is not as good as intrinsic. 

Set realistic expectations and discuss them with your child before just giving assignments or expecting something from him/her.

– Instead of being too demanding, give your kids freedom in what they want to do as long as there is no harm coming out of this activity (sports activities, time spent on social media, etc.). Let their personality shine!

They will love doing things they enjoy because it makes them feel good rather than feeling bad all the time when working by themselves at home.

– Ask questions instead of making demands; ask open-ended ones like: “What did you think of the book you read? Or “Why did you choose this topic of conversation?”.

Useful for: critical or creative discussion, finding out more information about a person or subject.

  • Try to understand how your child feels and what he/she wants. It is okay if you do not agree with them, but at least let them know why they are wrong in their opinion so that they can see the other side of the coin as well.
  • Give full attention when speaking or listening; avoid multitasking! If you want your kid to speak up more about how he/she feels then give him/her time for this by giving complete focus on his words instead of doing something else while talking with him.
  • Let your kids be responsible – small responsibilities like getting dressed or brushing teeth before bedtime will help them feel empowered and independent while making a part of the growing-up process easier for parents too!

Open-ended questions require a little more thought and generally encourage wider discussion and elaboration.

5 Science-Backed Steps on How to Motivate a Child to Study 

Your efforts to encourage your youngster are most likely have the opposite effect — demotivating him. This is because most parents and teachers do not know how to motivate a child, so they resort to punishments or rewards.

As we all know, the carrot and stick approach does work — in the short term. But when you stop offering bribes or threats for good grades or study habits, your children will find it difficult to continue their efforts without an external motivator.

Here are some science-backed steps on how to motivate a child:

1. STOP TRYING TO MOTIVATE

To be intrinsically motivated is to enjoy an activity on its own. If someone doesn’t enjoy an activity, no amount of pushing, bribing, or threatening can make them start to like it for its pure enjoyment.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within. It’s our natural desire to do something because we like it or it matters to us.

Forcing a child to do anything usually has the opposite effect of what was intended. For children to be intrinsically motivated, they need to feel autonomous, competent, and connected.

When parents try too hard to motivate their children, they often squash these feelings of autonomy and connection. The child then becomes less interested in the activity and more interested in pleasing their parents.

This sets up a negative reinforcement cycle in which the child is only doing an activity because they are afraid of displeasing their parents or getting into trouble.

In the past, people used to motivate children by rewarding, telling them they are good, and praising them. But this doesn’t work because it’s not fair and children don’t like it. So now we just tell kids what they did right and praise their good things.

2. BE INSPIRING INSTEAD OF CONTROLLING

Controlling someone’s actions with praise, reward, nagging, scolding, and punishment is a common practice. Being a controlling parent cannot make children like something. You are offering them an incentive that is not related to the activity, which means they can’t enjoy it.

Children usually comply to get the external reward or avoid the punishment, but they are not internally driven. The focus is on getting things right rather than exploring and learning.

A better way to motivate children is to be inspiring. Show genuine interest in their pursuits, provide encouragement and support them when they stumble. When you make it about your child’s interests and how they feel while doing an activity, intrinsic motivation will follow.

Praise your child for trying hard even if the outcome was not perfect. Let them know that mistakes are a natural part of learning and growing. This type of positive reinforcement will help children develop healthy self-esteem and a love for learning.

The best way to motivate your child is by showing the beauty in an activity itself and how one can enjoy doing it. Avoid pressuring them or trying to control how they should feel about an activity.

Forcing a child to do something they do not enjoy will only lead to resentment and low self-esteem. Let them find their way and be their person. As long as you are supportive, your child will have the confidence to try new things and excel in life.

When it comes to motivating children, we must focus on what interests them instead of our agendas. Children are naturally curious and creative individuals who want to explore the world around them. We can help foster this sense of curiosity by providing opportunities for exploration and giving positive encouragement along the way.

Some parents make the mistake of trying to motivate their children with rewards like money.

Being independent is the polar opposite of being controlled, which means taking action on one’s initiative.

Autonomy is a good thing. It means you have control of your life. A sense of autonomy has been shown in studies to motivate people more strongly.

3. Use the phone tracker to monitor your child

Of course, you should talk to your child beforehand about your monitoring and what it is for. So that your child understands that you are always there for him, even when you are not physically with him, you can still help him at any time.

How does the phone tracker work?

The phone tracker works by tracking the location of your child’s cell phone. You can see the location on a map, and you can also see how long your child has been at that location. This is a great way to make sure that your child is safe, especially if you are not able to be with him all the time.

You can also use the phone tracker Hoverwatch to monitor your child’s activities. For example, you can see how much time he spends on his phone or how often he uses certain apps. This information can help you to understand how your child is using his phone and whether or not he is staying safe online.

If you are interested in using the Hoverwatch phone tracker for your child, there are many different optional features for complete control of your child.

How hard phone tracker Hoverwatch to install?

It is very easy to install the Hoverwatch phone tracker. You just need to download the app, create an account, and then add the device that you want to track. The app will automatically start tracking all activity on that device.

You can also use Hoverwatch to monitor other devices in your home, such as your computer or laptop. This gives you complete control of all activity in your home, no matter where it takes place.

Hoverwatch is a great way to keep your child safe online and make sure that he is staying on track with his studies. It’s important to have tools like this one so that we can help our children succeed in every area of their lives.

How easy is Hoverwatch to monitor a child?

The only thing you have to do is log into your account on Hoverwatch. You will then see your child’s location on a map. You can see how long they are spending on their device, how many texts they have sent/received, and who the last person was that your child spoke with.

Hoverwatch also records all information into an activity log so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of yourself.

As a smartphone monitoring app, Hoverwatch tracks and records texts, calls, contacts, calendar details, chats (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram).

In addition to this, Hoverwatch lets you set up custom alerts so that if your child is trying to hide things from you or goes down a dangerous path with internet filtering and social media monitoring.

This isn’t all though; Hoverwatch allows you access 24/seven through accessing its website on any device such

This way you’ll always know what is going on in your child’s life no matter how busy you get at work or school.

4. HELP child’s INTERNALIZE AND BECOME INTEGRATED

Some activities are not fun. If this is true, teach your child how to be a person who can get along with others.

Ask how your child feels about the task. Offer help and support to encourage them, or another way of doing something if they want it. If that’s not possible then let go – you can only do so much! You may consider domyhomeworkforcheap.com for assistance, as it offers affordable online help with a range of subjects and topics.

Your acceptance and understanding are some of the most important things for children to learn how to manage themselves well.

They need this as adults too: accepting their feelings without judging or avoiding them in some other way (e.g., by eating, drinking, shopping, etc).

The more we resist our thoughts/feelings/emotions with these types of strategies during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood the harder it becomes later on in life after years have been spent solidifying avoidance patterns into habituated behavior which are difficult to change.

Help them identify why an activity is important and help them internalize the need for it. Children must grasp the meaning and worth of doing something to fully internalize it.

One of the best ways to motivate a child is to help him or her understands why an activity is important.

Once they see how something they do connects with their goals and dreams, they will be more likely to internalize it and want to do it for themselves.

As adults, we sometimes lose sight of this importance, but children must learn how to find meaning in what they do. When tasks are meaningful, children are more likely to take ownership of them and work harder at them.

Helping your child find meaning in his or her pursuits will give you both a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Another way to help motivate a child is by teaching them how to set achievable goals.

For example, soccer training can be hard at times. But practice is important. Without practice, you will not become good at the game.

Explain and assist your youngster in comprehending that if they want to play soccer well, they must practice even when it is not very fun.

5. HELP THEM DECIDE AND LET THEM DECIDE

Autonomy is required for developing internal motivation or integrating external motivation. If children have to make their own decisions, they will feel that they are in control of what happens.

Even if the decision is not right for them, this will still help them feel better about themselves. 

Allow them to choose their battles; let them make decisions about things that don’t matter and help guide them with choices that do. This will give them a sense of ownership, responsibility, and competence.

When it comes time for homework or studying for a test, provide support but also allow your child to find his or her way to be successful.

Offer encouragement along the way and celebrate successes but resist the urge to take over completely. Letting go can be hard but it is an important step in helping children become self-sufficient adults.

And as they learn how to study and work independently, they will develop intrinsic motivation that lasts a lifetime.

Most people are concerned that if they allow their children to make their own decisions, the youngsters will inevitably do so incorrectly and fail.

But just like when you are learning to walk, sometimes you make mistakes. This is important because it helps you learn to make good decisions.

Kids need to learn how to make decisions. If it is not a health or safety issue, let them decide and then they will have the consequences.

One of the best ways to motivate a child is to help them find something they are interested in. Find out what their passions and dreams are and then do everything you can to support them in achieving those goals.

Kids who have parents that are actively involved in helping them reach their goals often have higher self-esteem, set loftier goals, and achieve more than kids whose parents don’t care about their interests or passions.

Another way to motivate your children is by letting them see how proud you are of their accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. A pat on the back, hug, or simple “I’m so proud of you” will make any child feel good about themselves and motivated.

For example, if a child refuses to do his homework after you tell him it is important, he will have to face the consequence in school.

Children were not built to live our lives. It does not follow that because we regret not playing the piano as children that our children should do so.

Children have their own lives and dreams. They don’t need to be the same as ours.

Final Thoughts On Child Motivation

It’s difficult not to offer rewards to our children. We just want to give something to celebrate a youngster’s success, on occasion. The key is not using it as a condition. If you do this, then you get this. That can easily lead to bribery and resentment.

One way to motivate a child is by helping him find his passion in life. Helping them cultivate their interests will make it easier for you as a parent to encourage them when things get tough.

We must give our children the freedom to fail. This doesn’t mean that we won’t be there to support them, but we should resist the urge to step in and save them every time they fall.

We need to set realistic expectations for our kids and ourselves if we want Motivation To Succeed. Children can’t always get what they want. They might not always win, and they don’t always get good grades. Sometimes children make mistakes and parents make mistakes too. It’s ok to make a mistake once in a while.

Any extrinsic rewards should be unexpected, offered only after the activity finishes, and not routinely given (because then your child will start to expect them). You can also offer praise, positive feedback, or improvement suggestions in place of tangible rewards. All of these can motivate your child for future tasks. By setting the right expectations and using these simple, practical strategies you’ll be able to teach your child how to motivate himself or herself for future tasks.