How to Keep Kids Motivated?

The world pandemic has effects we have never imagined before. It affects not only the economy of a country, but also the satisfaction, motivation, and productivity of its inhabitants. When you spend months closed in, not being allowed to meet face-to-face with your colleagues, play, and tell jokes, you kind of lose your motivation. 

The truth is, a life spent inside is boring for children. They love going out and even going to school. Because there they meet and play with their friends, and this social interaction is good for their development. Now they are deprived of some of the things they love the most. They participate in classes online, play video games, or communicate with their friends through FaceTime. 

And even though some people might think that all these can replace life how it was before, is wrong. Parents have probably noticed a drop in motivation to learn more, develop, and improve in their children. This might be because of the special context we are in today, or because parents have not found the perfect motivation recipe for their children. 

Most parents think that, to encourage their children and nurture motivation, they need to reward all the accomplishments and punish all the bad things they did. This is one way to do it, and in most cases, it might work, but not for long. 

As a parent, you have a great responsibility in raising and educating your children. You need to nurture their intrinsic motivation, those natural good feelings you have when you accomplish something. That pride and satisfaction cannot be replaced by rewards such as toys or money. 

So, you probably started thinking about the best ways to keep your kids motivated. Which is the best solution? How can you do it? What do your children really like? How can you keep them motivated? Here are some easy and accessible ways you can foster motivation in your kids. 

1. Lead by Example

One of the most useful pieces of advice to keep in mind whenever you want to teach, encourage, or motivate your kids to do something is to lead by example. Kids are like sponges and they absorb anything. Parents are the closest figures to them, so, naturally, kids will reflect parents’ habits and perspectives in one way or another. 

This is why, you as a parent, need to be aware of the influence your behavior has on your kids. If they see you doing that thing with pleasure and that you feel proud of yourself when you accomplish something, they will learn that this is the right way to do it.

As time passes, they will grow up and will understand the power of intrinsic motivation you fostered in them. The power of example is strong and it is one of the most efficient ways to keep your kids motivated. 

2. Help Your Kids Set Goals

Setting goals is another way that can keep your kids motivated. The theory behind doing this is simple and it works in the same way both for children and adults. The only difference lies in the goals they set, says research by assignment writing help. 

When you set goals, you want to achieve certain things. Some might be easier to accomplish, while others require you to put in a little effort. Some of these goals can be in the short-term, while others in the long-term. 

They can be represented by your kids’ wishes and desires. Something they want really much and that would keep them motivated to work towards it. This process can be challenging both for children and adults, but parents can make it a little less difficult for their kids. You can discuss with your kids and support and guide them in setting their goals. 

3. And a Plan

Every goal you aim for needs a plan. The easiest way is to help your kids break their goals into smaller ones and correctly choose their order or accomplishment. Explain to your kids that with small steps they get closer to achieving their goals and that they should not skip some steps. 

The most important detail about setting goals and making plans for accomplishing them is putting all this information into a visual chart. There are many templates on the internet you can use to create something colorful and appealing for your kids. Having the steps and their goals on a wall in their room will keep them motivated and always present. 

4. Be Supportive

Parents are the ones that can help their kids stay motivated during difficult times. Being supportive as a parent is essential, as this gives your kids the courage to go out of their comfort zone and pursue their dreams. Knowing that your parents are always there for you to offer you feedback and an honest opinion is helpful, as this is how kids mature and discover the world. 

Encourage your kids to learn from failures and overcome obstacles by being supportive and compassionate. Even though there will be times when they will experience a drop in motivation, understanding the situation better, and receiving support will make motivation level rise again. 

5. Let Your Kids Take Decisions

Kids are sensitive to rewards and how others communicate with them. If you force your kids to do something, they will most likely hate doing it. For example, if you urge them to read a book, they might do this only not to upset you or they might skip it at all. 

This is a common mistake parents make, and it is understandable. Parents already have life experience; they went through a lot of failures and successes. They understand how the economy, politics, and relationships go. And, the most important thing, they care for and love their kids a lot. 

As a parent, it is a natural desire to see your kids healthy and happy. But this desire sometimes makes people adopt unhealthy behaviors that can keep their kids more demotivated than motivated. 

It is therefore important to let your kids make decisions and discover their passions. They need to make mistakes, to learn about failures, to learn about success, about hard work, effort, and happiness. They will try a bunch of things until they will discover what truly brings them happiness and pleasure. Let them make decisions and support them along the process. 

This will keep them motivated because they feel they do something because they like it, not because you forced them to do it. 

Final Words

Keeping your kids motivated can be a challenge for most parents. They grow and develop so rapidly and are in a constant process of forming their personalities and identifying what they like to do. If you want to nurture motivation in your children, you could begin with leading by example.

Help them set goals and build a plan that will help them accomplish those goals. Be supportive, encouraging, and compassionate along the process and let them make their decisions.

Kids will learn about intrinsic motivation; about the pride and satisfaction you have when you accomplish something. 

Author Bio: Ashley Simmons is a professional journalist and editor. She has been working in a newspaper in Salt Lake City for 4 years. She is also a content writing expert and writes the best essays on topics such as psychology, modern education, parenting, and children’s development. She is a master in her craft.