Are you struggling to get your child motivated for school? School can be the best thing in the world for some kids, and they’re always excited to head out and learn something new because of it. But some other kids hate having to get up early, get into the schooling zone, and then have to stick it out for 6 hours at a time! And when you’ve got one of the latter kids on your hand, it can be hard to keep them in a school routine.
Maybe your child is often sick with school stress? Maybe your child often refuses to go to school outright, and you’re not sure what to do next? We’ve got some tips for you below to help you keep them motivated for school.
Help Them Get into the Habit Early
If your child really struggles to get motivated for school, it might be a good idea to get them in the habit early. If they’re often late because they wake up late or can’t get moving in the morning, a week or two before they’re due to go back put the school morning routine in place. Give them something to hold onto before they have to perfect it and they’ll get through it far easier!
Indeed, this principle can be helpful at any age. For example, when the summer break rolls around, have your teen sign up to an online summer school to help them stay in the habit of learning and retaining new information. It’s a gentle way to keep learning on their mind whilst still allowing them to take a break – it’ll also help them to catch up on work, if they’ve had a rough year at school already.
Liberally Hand Out Treats
Giving out treats as a reward for being motivated at school can be a grey area, but when you do it in the right way it can really help. So, if you’re going to give your child a treat for doing something school related, such as furnishing their homework or coming home with a merit, make sure it’s a ‘normal’ treat that you’d be likely to give out anyway!
Cook them their favourite dinner, take them down the park for a picnic, let them have a friend over – these are all normal things a kid will get up to anyway. This system makes sure they’re rewarded for being an active participant in the school system, but it doesn’t let the treats be rare ones they’d never get otherwise You don’t want school to become a ‘special’ activity – it’s just a normal thing you do!
Focus on the Effort
During the schooling years, kids can be tricked into thinking that grades are all that matters. They can think that coming home with anything less than an A is something to be ashamed of, which can make school just not worth the effort. But you’d never want your child to feel like that!
So focus on the effort they put in, rather than the result. Even if they get a D or lower or they’ve had a bad day at school, focus on how hard they’ve worked. Make sure you show them you’re aware of how much they’re trying, and encourage them to pick themselves back up and have another go. Most of all, congratulate them using effort focused language and liberally hand out praise, just like you would treats.
Talk About the Future
And finally, if you’ve got an older child who has final exams coming up, talk about their future with them. Make it something safe to consider, rather than scary – focus on what they want to do, not what they need to manage to get there. Of course you need to talk about the plan they’ve got, but make sure they’re aware that this isn’t the be-all, end-all.
If they ‘fail’, they’ll live and learn, and can try so many other things. There are so many ways to become higher educated, and so many job fields they can move into. Their plan isn’t set in stone, and all they need to aim for is being happy.
Being motivated for school can be hard at any age, never mind when you’ve got no choice in the matter! So to make it easy for your kids, use tips like those above to gentle them back into the routine and make it more fun. If you can remember your own school experience, whether good or bad, make sure it’s stellar for your own little ones!
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