Not all kids are excited to get in the classroom and participate in lessons. Inevitably, some children will need a little push to find their love of learning. Here are five tips to motivate your child to learn.
1. Explore Different Learning Styles
Children don’t all learn the exact same way. Some are more visual, while others need to work kinesthetically to understand a lesson. Help your child try out different styles of learning to see which best helps them understand concepts. Once you figure out what method helps your child learn best, put it into action. They will be able to grasp lessons better, and that success will motivate your child to keep trying.
2. Focus on their Interests
Everyone has their own unique interests, including kids. This is a great way to start building motivation to learn for students really struggling to find it. Ask them what subjects or topics they find exciting, then focus on developing their love for learning around those. Use this as a way to get children to motivate themselves, as well. Encourage them to explore their favorite subjects on their own outside of school.
3. Be Enthusiastic about Learning
Your child looks up to you, and if they see that you are enthusiastic to learn, they will develop their own enthusiasm for learning. Be authentic. If you personally love history, math, or reading, share that genuine interest with them. Your child will see the joy you get from discovering new information about subjects that thrill you. They will then absorb that joy from learning into their own life.
4. Celebrate Accomplishments
The trick here is not to celebrate based on grades or other performance benchmarks. Instead, focus on what they’ve learned, no matter how small. By focusing on the content and not the scores, you show your child that the act of learning is more important than the results of an assessment. This positive reinforcement is a great way to motivate your student to keep up the good work!
5. Empower Your Child
Provide your child with the materials they need to feel in control of their education. If they like to read, take them to the library to pick out a book for themselves. If they like science, ask them to choose some fun science activities to do. Some children will withdraw from learning if they feel pressured or controlled in their participation. By allowing them to have input and a choice in what and how they learn, your child will feel more motivated to engage.
Keep the Learning Going
Once you have found the best way to motivate your child, keep the learning going all year long!
You don’t want your student to lose all of the precious knowledge they worked so hard to learn at school over the summer. Provide your child with a Summer Learning Program to keep their minds sharp all vacation long. This way, they can start the next school year off on the right foot.
Find your child’s Summer Learning Program here.
