After a long summer break, your child is ready to get back into the school routine and hang out with their school friends once again. However, keeping your child motivated all year can present its challenges. Whether it is a learning issue, social challenges, attention problems, emotional problems or underperformance, it is important to understand what the cause might be. Fortunately, there are strategies that parents can apply to help their kids get motivated in school.
Get Involved!
Your child learns everything from their parents and their peers. If you show your level of commitment and how much you value their academic life, they will adopt the same views. Asking them simple questions about what they learned during the day will show them your engagement and care about their studies. Tell your child that you are available for questions and that you can help them with their homework. This hands-on aid will show them to not be afraid to ask for help when they need it and that people are always there to support them.
Good Work = Reward
Most parents are on the fence when it comes to rewarding their kids after accomplishing a task or when they are showing that they are putting in the effort. Social reinforcers work well for children — things such as hugs, high fives, and praises. When good behaviour is rewarded with external motivation, your child will start to internalize it and will want to achieve the result that makes them feel good. It is important to not only focus on the end results but to also pay attention to their efforts and improvements. When tasks get complicated, or they are putting in a lot of effort to accomplish their goal, this will teach them the value of pushing themselves and to be proud of themselves once they achieve their result.
Simple Ownership
Allow your child to make simple decisions for themselves. You don’t want them to feel as though they are being controlled at school and at home. This will have a dramatic effect on their schoolwork, and they will want to withdraw from learning. Depending on your child’s age, you will want to give your child more responsibility for completing house and schoolwork tasks. Giving them space to complete their homework, independence during their after-school routine, allowing them to choose their extracurricular activities are all good examples of letting your child have some of their own freedom. They will start to have respect for their learning environment and this will make them more motivated.
At Tiny Hoppers, we want your child to have a memorable time during their school year! Find a location near you and let’s get your child involved in a safe, reliable and fun daycare today.
