How to keep children motivated

As parents and educators, we are privileged to witness the growth and development of children. We celebrate their milestones and accomplishments, from their first steps to their graduation. However, our kids learn that achieving these accomplishments requires consistent effort and persistence. While some children are intrinsically motivated and eager to learn, others may need external motivation and guidance from parents, teachers, and tutors.

In today's rapidly changing world, where technology and information are constantly evolving, it is essential to equip children with the skills and mindset needed 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, parents and educators can empower 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 crucial 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 discussions about progress allow parents to provide support, offer guidance, and praise 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. It is essential to shift their negative attitude into positivity by empowering them to set realistic individual goals. These goals can be short-term or long-term, depending on the child's specific needs and aspirations.

By breaking down these goals into manageable steps and creating a detailed plan, children acquire essential skills such as time management, self-motivation, problem-solving, and organisation. This structured approach to motivating your child's behaviour not only provides them with a sense of direction but also instils the intrinsic self-motivation needed to navigate obstacles and emotional problems and progress towards success.

Rewards and Celebrations

In the world of young learners, no good deed goes unnoticed. Every achievement is an opportunity to reinforce good behaviour and motivate your child towards success by celebrating and rewarding their accomplishments. The rewards or recognition should align well with the achievement.By celebrating their efforts and progress, parents not only boost their children's 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 reinforce positive behaviour. In addition to setting goals and recognising their effort, it is important to provide positive reinforcements such as rewards and incentives.

These tangible rewards can come in a few forms from many parents, in the form of certificates, engaging activities, free time, or material goods. If you notice that your child is working hard to succeed, offering something special as motivation to encourage them to continue striving and achieving their goals can have a significant impact.

Creating a Supportive Environment

Children thrive on encouragement and praise. Ensuring they feel supported and secure helps them feel confident when tackling new challenges and setting ambitious goals. Having the confidence to try new things, enrol in extracurricular activities, or participate in tutoring programmes is made easier by a supportive environment and safety net. 

Not every goal will be achieved, but by providing support, we can encourage children to try their best and maintain their intrinsic motivation even when they don't achieve the desired outcome.

The learning environment plays a crucial role in nurturing children's motivation and focus. Creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where children feel safe, valued, and encouraged is essential. This can be achieved by establishing clear expectations, fostering positive relationships, and promoting collaboration and peer 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.

In addition, providing a well-organised and engaging physical and virtual learning environment can enhance a child's interests and young people's intrinsic motivation and focus. Ensuring access to necessary resources, incorporating interactive and hands-on learning experiences, and utilising technology effectively can all contribute to creating an environment that sparks children's curiosity and intrinsic motivation to learn.

Encouraging Autonomy and Ownership

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

Providing opportunities for independent exploration, problem-solving, social interaction, and decision-making can motivate and encourage kids to cultivate their sense of self-doubt, responsibility, and ownership of school work. By empowering children to take ownership of their own choices in learning, parents and educators can instil in them a sense of intrinsic motivation and a lifelong love for learning.

Positive Role Models and Extra Support

The examples children see at home and in the classroom can either hinder or help their motivation. If your child is struggling to stay focused on their math homework, engage with them and learn alongside them to help motivate them. If you lack proficiency in the subject they are struggling with, find a role model who can provide motivation and support their learning.

This might be a family member who excels in mathematics or an after-school tutor who can offer guidance, professional advice, and positive role modeling to support kids. NumberWorks'nWords, specialise in math and English and act as positive role models and mentors for younger students. Witnessing an older student tackle difficult tasks or complex equations and explain them to other students 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, it is equally important to cultivate intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to the internal desire and drive to engage in an activity for its own sake, rather than for external rewards. To foster intrinsic motivation in children, it is essential to create a learning environment that is stimulating, engaging, and relevant to their interests.

Encourage young kids to learn through their curiosity by providing opportunities for exploration and discovery. Allow them to pursue projects or topics they are passionate about, giving them a sense of ownership over the right direction of their learning and autonomy in their choices. By 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 achievement, setbacks and failures are inevitable. It is crucial to teach children how to bounce back from setbacks and maintain their motivation in the face of adversity. Help them develop resilience by reframing failures as learning opportunities and emphasising the importance of perseverance.

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

Developing a growth mindset

One important aspect of fostering motivation and resilience in children is cultivating a growth mindset. 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 can have a profound impact on their motivation and achievement.

Parents and educators can promote a growth mindset in young people by providing specific positive feedback that focuses on effort, progress, and strategies employed rather than simply on good grades and praising innate abilities. 

By using constructive feedback and emphasising the value of hard work, more effort, resilience, self-motivation, and a willingness to learn from failures, children develop a mindset that fosters their self-confidence, self-determination, resilience, self-motivation, and a lifelong love for learning.

Seeking additional support and outside help is always a good idea. After-school resources, such as tutoring programs, 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 by acting as positive role models, mentors, and motivators. 

They empower children to become confident, self-motivated, and diligent learners. If you believe your child needs additional support and motivation, NumberWorks'nWords could be a valuable option.

To discover how NumberWorks'nWords tuition can motivate students and build resilient learners, contact your nearest centre or book a free assessment.

Our friendly team and expert tutors make learning fun and rewarding, using a results-based approach that builds confidence in young learners.