Motivation is fundamental for carrying out any activity with interest and enthusiasm. For parents, this is an important truth when it comes to educating your children — motivating them is key for their learning process.
If children feel motivated, they’ll be better disposed to learn, to get involved, and to give all they’ve got to attain a particular goal. It’s very important to work on motivating your children, starting at home, so they’ll be able to achieve whatever objectives they set for themselves now and in the future, from the simplest daily chore to much greater challenges.
Stimulate their imagination
As parents, you’re responsible for helping your children grow up with the feeling that with effort, enthusiasm, and interest, they can obtain what they desire. A good way to start motivating them by is telling them stories, starting in early childhood. This is a very useful tool for motivating them and getting them to be enthusiastic about doing things; stories can have a strong influence on their behavior, if you use them to present positive models of how to live.
Help your children identify with you
Tell them about experiences you had when you were young, because there’s nothing better than personal experiences to make your children listen and identify with you. You will win their empathy and help them understand that you were a child, too, and that you know what it’s like. It is very important to have a positive, happy, and enthusiastic attitude; your children should see and feel that life should be enjoyed and lived happily. A good attitude towards life can make everything possible. This is the best foundation for healthy motivation.
Read more:
What really matters in children’s early education
Appreciate your children’s efforts
Pay attention to what they do, so you can show you appreciate their efforts, even if they don’t get the results they wanted. You need to recognize and reinforce their positive behavior, so they will continue fighting until they achieve their goals. If they see that you support them, love them, and congratulate them, they will feel strong and motivated to continue forward and to improve. It’s very important that you explain to them clearly the reasons for doing things. Remember that your children are people, and their learning process depends in part on your effort. The better you explain the reasons for doing things, the better they will understand, and the more intensely they will feel motivated to do them.
Choose “doable” tasks and challenges for your kids
When dealing with complicated tasks, it’s a good idea to set short-term objectives that are simple and achievable so that your children won’t get bored half-way through. For your children to feel motivated, it’s important that they understand that an error isn’t a failure, but rather an opportunity to improve and to fight adversity. They need to understand that life is a continuous process of learning, and that there is no need to fear making mistakes. The important thing is never to stop making an effort to achieve one’s goals. This principle is essential if we want to plant seeds of self-confidence in our children.
Involve your children in age-appropriate decision making
If they feel that they are considered active participants in a decision, whose opinion matters, they will enjoy getting involved. If you want them to be involved in something they might not like, you need to help them understand that they need to do it, and explain to them the reasons why, giving them enough time to assimilate them.
Bottom line, the best way to teach our children how to live is by giving them a good example. Children watch their parents closely. What we say to them counts a lot, but what we transmit to them through our behavior means ten times more.
Read more:
The power of motivation to transform your life
And today we celebrate...