Your child’s willingness to engage with their school work and homework is influenced by many different factors. Personality and disposition do play a part, but motivated children had to become good learners – it’s not a skill we’re born with. Children also need lots of encouragement and support from their caregivers, and the right environmental conditions for learning. To help you motivate your child, here’s some tips from a co-educational prep school in Oxford.
A Look at How To Motivate Your Child to Learn
Give them some control
Children like to feel that they have control over their life, even if it’s small things like a choice of what to eat for dinner or what type of party to have for their birthday. When it comes to learning, letting your child make decisions about when, where and how they learn will help keep them engaged and motivated. Let your child create their own schedule (within reason) and decide which piece of work they will do when (as long as they adhere to deadlines).
Their school might facilitate this by giving children homework options to choose from – this can be a welcome break from the rigid set of lessons at school. If you can offer your child some element of choice, this sense of control will encourage a positive attitude toward their learning.
Focus on their interests
Learning about topics they’re naturally interested in and being given the opportunity to explore them in more depth also helps keep children engaged. Of course, they’ll have to study a set National Curriculum at school, but if you notice they have a particular passion for and aptitude for a subject, help them engage with it as much as possible; for example, they could join a club or complete a homework project on it. You’ll probably find they’re much more motivated to learn when it’s something they’re interested in.
Adapt to their learning style
Each child has a unique learning style and taking the time to identify your child’s preferred method of understanding, absorbing and retaining information will pay off in the long run. Auditory learners prefer to hear what they’re learning and respond well to sound, whereas visual learners like being able to see information presented to them. There are also kinesthetic learners who learn through movement and touch. Your child might even learn in a mixture of different ways.
It can be hard for teachers to adapt their lessons to every child’s individual style, but this is something you can do at home. Once you know your child’s favourite way of learning, help them with homework projects by adapting information into a format they prefer (like flashcards for visual learners or songs for auditory learners).
If you have any tips on how to motivate your child to learn we’d love to hear them.
*Collaborative post
About Debz Louise
Debz Louise is a UK-based lifestyle expert and the founder of several lifestyle blogs, including Wannabe Princess and Under 5s. Specializing in everything from interior design and home renovation to body-positive fashion and early years development,