How To Motivate Your Child To Learn

Some children take to learning like a duck to water, others need a little more encouragement. It may just be that you’re using the wrong approach or perhaps just need to implement a bit of structure to help your child find their stride. An independent school in Co. Kildare has shared their top tips to motivate your child to learn, keep reading to find out more. 

Progress Not Perfection 

If your child feels like they are ‘bad’ at learning, they will naturally shy away from it and the process will become much harder. If learning feels stressful or embarrassing, you will be hard pushed to motivate your child to try their best. Try and shift the focus away from what they get right or wrong and instead praise them for their effort. Look out for small glimmers of progress and make sure your child knows you are proud of them throughout the process, this removes any pressure and allows them to take things at their own pace. 

Find Their Learning Style 

There are three main learning styles, visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (movement). Figuring out your child’s learning style can dramatically change how they respond to education. Discovering that your child is a predominantly kinaesthetic learner can explain why they are so reluctant to engage with homework that involves textbooks and reading. Children who are visual learners tend to find it hard to recall spoken instructions and auditory learners may be easily distracted by classroom noise or music. Once you’ve determined your child’s learning style you can make adjustments to suit them and activate their full potential. 

Develop a Routine 

A common reason why many children struggle to fully engage with their education is because they find it tricky to self-motivate. Children and teens act off their impulses, meaning that homework and study may often fall to the bottom of their list of priorities if something they deem more interesting is on the table. To combat this it may be useful to help your child form a daily routine which prioritises learning. For example, this could mean that homework is to be completed straight after school before any recreational activities. This way, your child won’t have to rely on their own motivation or time management to find time to study, and their new routine will soon become second nature.

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