The Proper Way to Motivate your Kids

The Proper Way to Motivate your Kids

The 21st century has brought many new changes with electronics. Children as young as two are using their parents’ devices to play learning games. This is all great until your child becomes unmotivated. Fifty years ago we didn’t have the age of electronics. Many children used their imaginations, feet, bicycles, tricycles and many walked with mom during the day to the bus line for appointments. Parents also had more time to take their child to the park and do other outdoor activities. We all remember our childhoods and how times have changed. Most households have two working parents and some households have only one parent. We live in a hustle, bustle world and are constantly hurrying. Do you feel you might be enabling your child to be unmotivated without realizing this? The motivation of your child should begin at birth because you don’t want this to affect your child into adulthood. Here are some tips for motivating your child.

Older Siblings vs Younger Siblings

This is a great rule of thumb for parents with large families. Remember if you are frazzled and in a hurry, try to calm down and don’t push the older children into helping the younger children. This includes helping them with their coats, tying shoes and getting dressed. Pace yourself and make sure you have enough time for everyone to get ready on their own. When the older child starts doing just the simple things like tying your younger child’s shoes, this can lead to a lack of motivation on the younger child’s part. When your younger child is ready to start school, your child will automatically expect help with the simple things that he or she should know how to do. Teacher’s set certain expectations at each grade level and while the other children are working on assignments, you wouldn’t want your child sitting around expecting help with simple tasks he or she should know by this particular grade level.

Set goals and make a plan

This might be a good opportunity for you to sit down with your child and encourage them to set some small goals and make a plan on how to implement these goals. You don’t have to become frustrated because you think your child is different, a simple plan works wonders.

Accomplishments

Whenever your child masters a goal and sticks to the plan, plan a small celebration. This could be as simple with allowing a later bedtime on a non-school night and have a movie night together with some of your child’s favorite snacks. Make sure to include your child in the preparation of their favorite snack. This is another way to simply motivate your child.

Competition

It’s always great to have some competitiveness included in your motivational plan.  Life is always going to be competitive and a challenge. The sooner your youngster realizes this the better.  You want to help your child develop good sportsmanship and a positive attitude, so your child will learn not to take everything so personal if he or she were to finish second or third in a contest or a sport. This attitude and the motivational skill behind the competition will help your child know that they tried!

Choices

It’s always best to let your child make their own choices within reason in order to face the consequences. Some consequences, whether right or wrong can also be a good motivational tool for your child to learn to take things in stride. The next time your child will put on his or her thinking cap and remember the experience from the last experience.

Show Interest

Remember one of the most motivational factors is to show interest in everything your child enjoys. Showing interest is one of the greatest tools for encouragement. Your child’s smile will be a large enough reward.

Be Positive

When your child looks into your eyes, you don’t want them to see any kind of distraction, fear or confusion. Your main goal with being positive is to encourage your child to have great self-confidence and a little bit of imagination will make any situation bright.