7 Positive Motivating Lessons for Your Children
Posted on March 24, 2008
Filed Under Family, Personal Development
Motivation is not only essential for adults, but also for children.
What they learn as children will have a huge impact on the rest of their lives.
There is no magic formula for motivating children but there are some lessons that have been shown to be effective:
- 1. Set right expectations. Expect your child to succeed, and her chances for
success improve greatly. Expect her to come up short, and the odds are that she will. Children are usually keenly aware of how their parents view them, and they often tailor their actions to those views. So it’s very important to have high expectations—and communicate them to your child. It is equally important to base your expectations on your child as an individual who has strengths and weaknesses like all individuals.
- 2. Lead by example. Your kids learn the most from you. If you would like to see certain traits in your children, then lead by example. If you would like them to be motivated and excited about things, do the same. If you would like your children to use goals, you too should use goals in your daily life.
- 3. Encourage him to express his opinion, talk about his feelings, and make choices. He can pick out a side dish to go with dinner and select his own extracurricular activities. Ask for his input on family decisions, and show that you value it. He will be more likely to engage with the material he studies if he is comfortable asking questions and drawing his own conclusions.
- 4. Help your child set goals. Goals turn expectations from ideas into reality. Knowing what he is expected to do will help your child accomplish little unless he has a plan for how to do it. Here are some ways to help your child set meaningful goals: write the goals down, make the goals specific, make the goals measurable.
- 5. Encourage your child to be resilient. Sam Goldstein, Ph.D., a noted neuropsychologist and professor at the University of Utah, strongly believes that encouraging resilience is one of the best thing parents can do for their children. Resilient children are ready for whatever life throws at them. They get that way, according to Goldstein, by developing qualities like these:
- Strong belief that an adult in their lives will always be there with love and
support.
- Ability to solve many of their own problems.
- Ability to focus on their own strengths.
- Regard mistakes as something that happens to everyone, and something
to learn from.
- 6. Talk with them. Notice the title is not Talk ‘To’ Them. When dealing with this
subject, let them do some of the talking. They may surprise you as they try to come up with concepts and ideas all on their own. Many children do not understand the importance of goal setting and having a positive attitude. Simply sitting down with your children and talking with them about this subject will help them to understand why they need motivation and goals in their lives. When speaking with your kids, remember they are only kids. The ideas you use must be a little less complex and a little more fun than usual. The next tip will help you to make goals more fun for you and your children.
- 7. Make every day career day. Schools bring in professionals once a year for a lecture on life in the working world. However, once a year is not enough. Mentoring is a key component missing from today’s schools, and it might be just what your kid needs to see why studying matters. So close the books and hit the street. Instead of nagging your son about why math is important — show him, by arranging a few hours of shadowing with someone who uses math on the job. Do not just focus on what he says he’ll never use — set up meetings with people pursuing his passions. It will help inspire him to keep his head in the game.
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