It is the desire of every parent to give his child the best educational experience. Choosing the right school for the child is just the first step in this process. To motivate your child to be successful in the chosen school is however more important than the choice of the school.
To motivate your child to succeed, the child needs to be encouraged to learn. Parents play a big part in a child’s willingness to learn and their overall disposition when it comes to schooling and education. Here are 15 tips and technics through which you can keep your child engaged and motivated in his educational pursuits.
- Set Goals
- Give Constructive Criticism
- Provide the Required Learning Tools
- Focus on what he is learning, Not on His Performance
- Help Them with Home Assignments
- Let Them Figure Out Things on Their Own
- Reward Excellent Performance
- Prepare Them for Tests/Examinations
- Oversea the Child’s Activity
- Do not Compare
- Let them see the big picture
- Attend PTA and Back-to-School Programmes
- Interact with The Teacher
Set Goals
To motivate your child, it is necessary the child knows what your expectations are. This will involve you and the child sitting down to agree on set goals. Goals that the child can understand and pursue. Set achievable and understandable milestones for the child.
Give constructive Criticism
In the process of pursuing the goals set, the child may occasionally fall short of expectations. To motivate your child in such circumstances requires words pf encouragement and not criticism. And where criticism must be made, it must be constructive in nature. Putting the ‘’can do’’ spirit in the child will go a long way in motivating such child.
Provide the Required Learning Tools
How does a parent who does not buy the necessary study materials, such as text books, for the child expect the child to excel? To motivate your child, the child must have all the items required for effective studies: Text Books, Exercise Books, writing materials, and every other item that may be required by the child for effective studies.
Help Them with Home Assignments
Students normally come home from school with assignments. It is the responsibility of the parent to encourage the child to do the assignments. You can attach reward system to finishing the assignments and other tasks the child may be given. For example, you can tell your child ‘’you can visit your friend when you finish your assignment’’.
Let Them Figure Out Things on Their Own
In encouraging the child to do his assignments, you are required to guide the child but not to do the assignment for him. The child can only gain academically if he is guided to figure out things for himself. By so doing, you are concurrently motivating your child.
Reward Excellent Performance
A child that meets the expectations of the parents should be rewarded. The expectations can be as simple as completing an assignment or home work. When you reward performance, you are motivating your child for excellence.
Focus on what he is learning, not his performance
Instead of asking your child how he did in Basic Science test as soon as he gets home from school, ask him to teach or tell you what he learnt. To motivate your child therefore, it is important you focus on what your child is learning, as opposed to his score or performance.
Prepare Them for Tests/Examinations
Get involved in what the child does at home. Assist them to be organised when they come back from school. Also guide them appropriately in their tasks. In addition, prepare them adequately for their texts and exams. All these will motivate your child to succeed.
Oversea the Child’s Activities
In relation to the above, you should be interested in every aspect of your child’s activity. Be involved in the much you can in every aspect of his development. Give words of encouragement as you motivate him towards success in life.
Do not Compare
Your child doing well at school is about him doing his best. To motivate the child, your responsibility is to make sure and encourage him to do his best. But not to compare him with other children.
Let them see the big picture
It is very easy to get your child bogged down with the task of having excellent grades and lose sight of the bigger picture. As a means of motivating your child, help him to see the big picture – why working harder is essential to their future goals and success. Let them see how their present efforts will define their career and life goals.
Attend PTA and Back-to-School Programmes
There is nothing that can motivate your child more than seeing his parents in virtually all the school programmes such as parents and students’ events. These could be Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meetings, Speech Day programmes, etc.
Interact With the Teacher
If your child’s grade and work habits is not at par with your expectations, you can set up a plan by sitting down with him and his teacher. Let the teacher assist in checking the implementation of the agreed plan at school while the parent does the same at the home front. With time, the child adjusts and the grades will improve. It is a sure way to motivate you child for excellent performance in school.
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