Inside: Is your child struggling with motivation at school? Here’s how to help them go above and beyond. Collaborative post.
As a parent, it’s tough when you notice that your child is feeling unmotivated.
Whether it happens gradually over time or it’s triggered by an event like receiving exam results, losing motivation can be difficult for children to overcome. We’ve outlined a clear, simple strategy to follow to help your children rekindle their enthusiasm and zest for learning.
- Nurture their interests
It’s only natural to do things we find interesting – and it’s even more important for children to develop hobbies and passions of their own. Your child will feel more motivated when they’re doing things they enjoy, so you’ll need to learn where their interests lie.
Once you know what makes your child tick, it’s essential to show and maintain support as a parent. Even if your own interests are completely different or you’d prefer your child to be involved with something else, you need to respect their individual energy.
- Link their interests to new skills
Once you’ve got a reasonable idea of your child’s main interests, you can think of new opportunities to help your child develop new skills. For example, if your child loves gaming, buying them their first pocket-sized computer could be a way to home in on an undiscovered ability to code.
New learning approaches are always valuable for young people. According to extensive research by global technology experts OKdo, 96% of teachers have seen real evidence that computer science lessons help children to develop other hard and soft skills.
Furthermore, three in five teachers agree that computing improves a child’s ability for creative thinking. If your child’s creativity is dwindling, introducing lessons in computing or programming could help them rediscover their energy.
- Help your child to succeed
It’s easy to forget that everyone wants to excel in what they do. If a child fails time after time, they might develop feelings of helplessness and lose confidence in their own ability to achieve their goals.
If you know that your child is struggling to do well at school, it’s crucial to provide them with opportunities for small wins at home. Whether you’re playing ball games or puzzles, you can easily set challenging but achievable tasks to help your child start to succeed again.
In turn, improved self-esteem could motivate your child to face a task they once considered impossible.
- Focus on encouragement
When you’re helping your child, don’t get caught up with generic motivational conversations. Instead, reassure your child that they have what it takes. This should help them to develop a growth mindset, which is all about recognising and rewarding progress.
Carrying a positive, can-do attitude is essential throughout every stage of life. Be a consistent role-model for your child and let them know that they’ll never be defined by their failures.