Most children have an innate motivation to learn and explore. However, like adults, children can get worn out and unmotivated from time to time. In such cases, parents and educators can use a variety of techniques to motivate them.

As an English tutor at i-Learner, I’ve had lots of hands-on experience with motivating children in the classroom setting, and I’d like to share some tips for you to try at home:

Make learning fun

One of the easiest ways to motivate young learners is by incorporating educational games into the learning environment. You can use games as motivators before, during, or at the end of study sessions. Games such as ‘What’s the time, Mr. Wolf’, ‘Duck’, or ‘Phonics Bingo’ are great for motivating kindergarteners. If your kindergartener is particularly unmotivated to read, try asking them to read in a voice of their choice – an old woman’s, a pirate’s, a cat’s, etc., and they’ll be sure to have fun! Games such as ‘Hangman’, ‘Pictionary’, and ‘Charades’ are excellent at motivating lower primary students!

Set realistic and achievable goals

Children love the feeling of accomplishing a goal. However, if the goal is something too difficult or too easy, children may be discouraged or unmotivated to work for it. Hence, it’s important to set realistic and achievable goals. For example, if the goal is to finish a large piece of homework, it can be cut up into smaller milestones. Your child will need to focus on achieving one milestone at a time – which is more encouraging than having to finish everything at once. After they have passed a milestone, children will be filled with adrenaline and motivation to progress onto the next one. Before you know it, the work will be done!

Make mistakes fun

Children may be unmotivated to work if they are discouraged by the mistakes they have made. Therefore, it’s important to present mistakes to children in a way that is humorous and encouraging. For instance, if they have made a spelling mistake, you can sound out the word in a funny way or make up a story around it. This can ease the initial tension and smooth the path to correcting their mistakes in a supportive way. You can also take a look at this article from Ms Jaye for additional tips: How to Give Corrections that Boost Confidence.

Studies have shown that young children thrive in environments where they can get positive attention and praise from adults. Hence, perhaps the best way to motivate your young learner is to give them unwavering support and encouragement!