How to Keep Your Kids Motivated Throughout the School Year
Motivation can be hard to come by sometimes in life. This is especially true with children that are simply trying to make it to the next grade level. You can tell your children all day long that they need to remain focused on their school work in order to succeed, but in all likelihood the concept is going to fall on deaf ears. The key is to find ways to motivate your children so that they do not realize that the motivation is happening. It is a proven fact that children that are encouraged to do more by their parents achieve better grades and ultimately make more money over their lifetime. Here are some ways that you will be able to motivate your children without them realizing what is going on.
Let Them Play Games
When our children are small we tend to focus our energy on letting them play games that are designed to teach. These tools become less and less useful as the child grows and begins to turn away from the learning games that they once loved. It is however up to the parent to ensure that the child continues to learn and grow. The desires of children tend to change as they get older and therefore it is the parent’s job to adapt games to what the child likes.
In this instance it is important to study what your child likes and does not like. If they enjoy games that involve strategy, then steer them toward those games. Strategy games allow for abstract thought and teaches the child to think around a problem in order to solve it. The business world is full of people that have made their millions through strategies that they have honed over time. Some of the basic structures to these strategies come directly from some of the games they played as kids. There are also online games that us 3D images and scenarios to teach children strategy. It is vital that you find and use these tools when desiring to motivate your children.
Encourage Reading
One of the most common complaints of parents is the fact that their children do not read as often as they would like them to. Children often state that reading is boring and they would rather watch the movie that was based on the book. It is however up to the parent to find out what the child is interested in. It is not the fact that the child does not like to read. Most often the culprit is the fact that the child is not provided with books that peek their interests.
Reading is possibly the only way that we can transport ourselves to an alternate reality for a time without having to spend lots of money on travel. Parents often neglect to look at the movies that their children watch in terms of what classic story the movie was originally based on. Every movie that comes out these days is based, even loosely, on classic stories that we know and love. Even if the characters are completely different from the original characters you will notice similarities. Once a child realizes that they can get more from the story by reading the original book, the entire world opens up to them.
Encourage Creativity
Parents often think of school as merely a babysitter. Kids are sent to a building for a certain amount of time each day and learning is expected. Children do learn in this environment, but often times creativity is discouraged in favor of academics. Adults often forget that the creativity that we have as children is often what motivates us in our adult life. Taking all of that creative life away like most schools have with the taking away of art and music programs, puts a huge damper on a child’s ability to think creatively. That is why it is important that parents take it upon themselves to ensure that children are able to have time to create things.
All of a child’s education is not going to be gained from the walls within their school. Much of the education and motivation to succeed will come from how creative they are allowed to be during the times they are not at school. Encouraging our kids to find out what they can do with their creative minds allows for them to explore their desires and passions for life. Creativity in computer programs that teach kids how to create animations and 3D models as well as giving a child a chance to draw on their own to create something will get their minds working in a creative manner. Motivating a child is not difficult. It is just a matter of knowing your child as a person and understanding what they like and therefore what motivates them to succeed.
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