Is there a way to motivate your children without being the villain? Probably yes? Probably No? When you become a parent, you get promoted to someone who has to be in charge AT ALL TIMES. But, sometimes, this feeling of being the boss may get to your heads.
As parents, people generally believe that their children won’t be their best selves unless they’re at their heads. It doesn’t hold much truth to it.
Parents, sometimes you can be wrong. That’s what being a parent is. You’re learning the same life skills as your child. But in the process of being there for your child, your efforts might be going sideways.
The bitter truth is that you can’t enforce motivation on your child just because you think they lack it. You might even be getting in their way.
So, is there a way to motivate your child without being the villain? YES!
The article How to Motivate your Child is a helping hand for parents who are struggling to get their children motivated. It teaches you that the end goal is the motivation of your child and the right path that leads to it.
Through the article, you’ll have a look at several tips and methods that can be useful in gearing up your children for that boost of motivation. So, get those reading glasses and get motivated to motivate your children.
Tips to motivate your child
Dear readers, today you’re in for some useful information. You’ll learn about several methods and ways you can take up to motivate your child without enforcing any of your inputs on them.
Let’s look at several helpful and inspiring ways that can guide your child in the right direction.
Tip #1 Display appreciation towards them
Everyone responds to a good-natured appreciation. Even adults feel acknowledged when someone appreciates their thoughts.
Imagine how much of a significant impact some appreciation will make on a young child.
Think of it like this. Your dinner is over, and instead of waiting for you, your child finishes the bedtime rituals themselves.
It can just be that your child changed into their jammies and brushed their teeth. It’s a big deal for a young child to be able to do these things without the presence of grown-ups.
Do make sure to let your child know that you appreciate the efforts and how proud you are of him for following habits without the need of grown-ups.
These small gestures of appreciation will come in handy when motivating your child to establish things on their own.
Dr. Kennedy-Moore is a psychologist who specializes in children’s relationships and mental growth. She claims that children want to please their parents as a talent show of their abilities.
It means that they expect parents to be supportive, and this could create a powerful means of motivation.
Display appreciation towards your child when you mean it. But, be careful about overdoing it.
Appreciation needs to focus on your child’s effort and growth rather than the result.
Tip #2 Participate in meaningful conversations
You can’t expect to know everything about your child just by looking at them. And you shouldn’t expect them to understand your concerns.
Just like in all matters, communication with your child is a crucial factor in understanding their thoughts and wants. For instance, your child develops a habit of not eating their lunch. Every day the lunch bag comes back unopened.
Instead of bombarding your child with a lecture on food wastage, sit with them and ask them why they’re not eating. Questions such as “Why didn’t you have lunch” or “Didn’t you like what I packed for lunch” will break the ice, and your child will answer freely.
You can expect general answers such as “I didn’t like it” or “It was cold,” and that’s fair. Now you know the issue because you soothingly asked your child. Sometimes it may even be that your child is forgetful or lazy. If you don’t openly talk with your child, you’ll never be able to find a solution.
You have to instill openness in your child so that they can freely communicate with you and others. It can be a contributing factor to motivating your child.
The one-on-one conversations can help you learn your child’s insight into things he likes, dislikes, or what he has been learning in school. You can even discuss if he wants to try out new things for fun. As long as your child is in the loop, a part of the conversation, you’ll understand what he wants to do and how he wants to do it.
As you head out to pursue new things, let your child know that his inputs are the reason for the exciting activities. It’ll appear as a boost in morale and motivation.
Tip #3 Re-evaluate the rewards
There isn’t a single parent in the world who hasn’t tried the strategy of “receive a reward” with their children. In simple terms, you’re bribing your child to get them to do a particular thing.
Think of it like this. If you tell a six-year-old child that you’ll reward them with a bar of chocolate, if they finish their broccoli, you’ll probably be the winner.
It’s not a long-term solution. Your child may pick on this technique and fuss more till you bribe them with a bar of chocolate. So, you may have won the battle, but your child will win the war.
You need to be more considerate of the rewards system. The technique may end up being a gamechanger with you on the losing side. So what encourages children to finish their tasks? And no, bribing them with treats isn’t the solution.
The answer lies in encouragement. Encouraging your child to finish a job or learn a new skill could make them feel accomplished and acknowledged. The thrill of a newly learned skill or a job well done can promote your child to new heights of happiness along with feeling inspired.
When a child learns a new skill, he’s so thrilled and excited about doing it that it can be hard to convince him to stop. You want that feeling for your child. The feeling of getting hold of a new skill can be highly motivating for a young child.
Tip #4 Participate in programs
Another way to motivate the growth of your child is to get them involved in exercises and reading programs. Learning how to read can be a great way to enhance a necessary life skill in your young ones.
Learning how to read from a young age can allow your child to feel more motivated and more confident. It can also speed up the learning process. The reading programs can incorporate enjoyment and seriousness to put forth the best learning experience.
With each passing day, your child will improve their reading skills, and you’ll get opportunities to tell them how proud you are of them. One example of a useful learning program is the Children Learning Reading. The program is a favorite of parents from all over the world.
It allows fun reading exercises and short stories for preschool children to build up their reading skills through phonetic methods of teaching. The program is a great way to polish your child’s reading skills.
There’s no surprise that so many parents participate in the Children Learning Reading program for the betterment of their young ones.
Participating in reading programs allows you to understand your child’s abilities. You can guide your child in the right direction by allowing them to control these abilities.
A confident child is more accepting of his flaws and more motivated in working to improve them. By involving your child in such programs, you’re adding to their qualities of acceptance.
Tip #5 Control your anxiety
In most cases, you may let your anxiety about your child overpower you. You may make choices that may not be beneficial for your child. If such a situation arises, get a grip on yourself. Your anxiety cannot motivate your child.
Let your child be. Many child psychologists claim that young children may get out of their behavioral phases on their own. If you let your anxiety get the best of you and you start to control your child, this won’t motivate them but give them the means to appease you. It may become more of a way to get you to react rather than find their inner motivation.
Children may take time to pick up healthy habits such as confidence and motivation. Your anxiousness about their timeline is not going to benefit anyone, especially your child. In simple terms, your anxiety may result in a power struggle between you and your child.
Instead of being on edge with regards to your child and his abilities, let them be free and learn through their way. Don’t enforce your opinions and wishes on them. A child who’s open to learning and trying out new skills may be more motivated and focused than someone who’s pushed into it.
Don’t be anxious about your child but channelize that anxiousness to find ways to get your child motivated and more receptive towards activities.
Conclusion
You’re a parent now. Someone responsible for a tiny human. There may be times along the way when you feel overwhelmed by the process of parenting. Take a breather and tell yourself that you’re doing a good job.
Your child may or may not be motivated to do things at any given point. Don’t consider it to be a red flag. You’re far from that situation. All you need are some innovative methods to get your child more involved in the process.
Most of the time, it may be that your child was bored or tired or just disinterested in a particular task. Your job as a parent is to pique their interest. As long as you can prioritize the well-being and the interests of your child above all other factors, your child will be motivated each passing day.
