- Problem: Your child is not motivated to do school work.
First, Before you begin do the following:
Observe your child. Be as specific as possible when naming the problem.
Take notes. Write down the problem. List everything that you try and the results of your effort.
- Then, focus on your desired outcome:
Your child will be motivated and to begin working on time and work to complete all assignments. Talk with your child and your family about the desired outcome. Make your desired outcome specific for your child. Write down the goal / desired outcome. Post the outcome where it can be easily seen.
Remember: If you don’t think ahead, your family won’t move forward.
- Possible Actions:
Read the possible actions that you can take below. Decide which ones would be most effective for your child. Focus on the outcome behavior.
*Teach your child to ask you any questions about directions, materials, or any instructions not understood.
*What are your child’s interests? We all like doing things we find interesting. What art mediums do your child like using, i.e. colored pencils, paint, pens etc.?
Which supplies might be helpful to your child?
You might want to include some creative items in your child’s homework supplies. Include scissors, colored construction paper, etc. Graph paper for math can be used to color in sets of blocks or for creating graphs. Graph paper comes in various sizes, so you might get ½ inch blocks for younger children. Stores such as Staples or dollar stores might give you other ideas for inexpensive art materials.
Ways to Create Fun Projects:
Some children enjoy sculpting school projects. Children might enjoy using items in a recycle bin to create items to help them learn. Items such as egg cartons can be used to group beans, which can help children learn math concepts. Egg cartons can be cut, painted and grouped. These are just a few ideas. Once you get started, your child will most likely have many ideas. Finding your child’s interests can create fun with your child’s learning. Use what you know about things your child enjoys doing, incorporate those activities into your child’s homework and study.
Which opportunities and activities can support your child’s motivation to do his/her homework?
*Give your child responsibilities that he/she will enjoy. Gradually you can introduce activities that your child would find less enjoyable as your child demonstrates success.
*Ensure that your child has opportunities for success in their daily lives. Children want to succeed. Repeated failure can give rise to frustration and discouragement. This can lead to tantrums and anger when children encounter too much failure. Set reasonable expectations with challenging but achievable tasks around the home. Recognize your child’s successful completion of every task.
Motivate Your Children:
*Provide opportunities to motivate your child. Place focus on your child’s strengths in any area etc. sports, scouts, friendships etc. Let your child know when he/she succeed. Remember that children need to encounter success. Even the most challenging child can undergo transformation when he/she realizes where their strengths lie. Recognizing your child’s strengths will help build their self-esteem.
*Present activities and responsibilities in the most attractive and interesting manner responsibilities.
*Provide your child with positive feedback that lets your child know that he/she has completed the activities successfully. The activities were …. important, valuable, well done, neat, helpful etc. Being careful that positive feedback is not given inadvertently for any complaints.
Make Activities Enjoyable:
*Follow a less enjoyable activity with a more enjoyable one. Make sure your child
completed the first activity before the second activity. Don’t tell your child about the
second activity before completing the first study activity. Let it be a surprise and just
move seamlessly into the second activity.
- Follow-up along the way:
Periodically review and reflect on your child’s progress. What is working? What is not working? Adjust your actions accordingly to meet the needs of your child. It’s important to recognize the attainment of a successful goal completed, however you will notice small achievements along the way. Recognize these smaller successes. It will encourage your child to keep trying and let your child know that he/she is on the right path. It will also motivate your child and make him/her more receptive when new goals are introduced.
- Follow Up: What to do after you try your selected actions:
If your actions were successful, keep using them. However, continue to monitor your child. You can use these actions as preventative measures if your child has a set back.
If your child is unsuccessful, seek help from school your family doctor etc. Take your notes with you. Let those helping you know what you have tried and the results of your efforts. This record can go a long way to getting your child the help that he/she deserves.
For additional information about motivational problems and solutions, go here.