Strategies to Motivate Your Child to Learn

Children are naturally curious. However, sometimes this curiosity doesn’t extend to academic skills, which, although not essential, are still very important for the child’s development. With children, just like with adults, motivation is often the precondition to success. Luckily, there are ways to understand your child’s motivation better and help them develop the desire to learn – and here are a few strategies that should help you with that.

Remove the barriers

The first step is finding out why your child lacks motivation. It can be an issue of self-confidence, an uncomfortable learning environment, anxiety about school, or a lack of challenge. Sometimes, they are learning at a level that does not suit them, and they feel like struggling to understand the material is their fault. Regardless of the reason, you should talk to your child calmly about this, so you can help them overcome the issue. 

Moreover, focus on their strengths in the process, to keep them reassured. Also, remember to make them a part of the solution and give them some control over fixing the situation. This will help them build confidence and strengthen the trust between you, as they will know that you care primarily about them and their efforts, and not the results.

Develop intrinsic motivation

According to psychologists, motivation can be extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation refers to outside factors, mainly rewards. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, refers to the desire for personal development, curiosity, and genuine interest in the subject of learning. 

While it’s important to have both, it has been shown that intrinsic motivation brings stronger results in the long run. To cultivate intrinsic motivation in your child, you need to help them develop a positive attitude towards the topic. Relate it to something they already care about, whether it’s sports, cartoons, music, or something else. Just keep in mind that this needs to be done gradually, so that they can build an emotional connection to the subject naturally.

Find the most suitable learning environment

Sometimes, the problem is the environment. So, try to create a learning environment at home where your child will know that they won’t be judged for expressing their own opinion. Also, if your child participates in extracurricular activities, make sure you pick the most suitable places and professionals. For most activities, it is best to have smaller groups so that the educators can pay attention to each child individually. 

For example, if they want to learn a language, you should pick carefully tailored language courses with set goals such as the Trinity course, which only allows six kids per group. This means that your child would get plenty of attention from the teacher, and it would be easier for them to stay engaged, as well. Plus, passing this course can help them not only gain a sense of achievement but also teach them how to handle the emotional aspects of learning.

Discover their learning style

There are seven basic learning styles: visual, auditory, verbal, kinesthetic, logical, social, and intrapersonal. Some children will have a preferred learning style, while others will have a combination of several. Explore all the different styles to understand which ones suit your child best. For example, visual learners will learn best with flashcards or other visual cues. Auditory learners, on the other hand, will benefit from listening to explanations. In short, discovering their preferred style can help you create the best learning environment for them.

Lead by example

If your child sees you showing enthusiasm for topics that you care about, they are more likely to become enthusiastic about their interests as well. It is important to model motivation, persistence, and curiosity, so make sure your child sees you chasing after your own dreams. Show them not to give up on the things they are good at, and that they can always improve, at least a little bit, at things they are not as proficient at. Focus on the process, and not the result, and don’t forget to show kindness and patience to yourself even if things are not going as you planned.

Nurturing curiosity and motivating your child to learn more about the world, both in school and outside it, is a long and sometimes difficult process. However, every interest they pick up and every achievement they feel happy about will make it more than worth it. Therefore, think about the listed strategies, apply them to your child, and the results are guaranteed to show.