Motivation to study is the key to success

Motivation to study is the key to success
Academic Skills, overcome procrastination, workshops,

What is motivation and how to show a child that learning is joy and pleasure

Children are born with a natural, even instinctive need and desire to learn. With impressive tenacity, the child picks himself up after each fall and tries again and again until he finally takes his first independent step. Each syllable uttered for the first time causes him great joy and the need for tireless repetition, continuous improvement of the reproduced sound. Learning new skills is a source of great joy and self-satisfaction. Unfortunately, this natural gift often disappears with the development of the child. Why is this happening? Is there no way to support this irresistible desire to acquire knowledge and valuable skills?

What is motivation?

Psychologists claim that motivation is largely formed along with human development. This means that we can learn to appropriately motivate our attitude towards a certain activity, such as studying, and we can also teach this to our children. However, before we move on to the question of how to do it, we should think about what motivation is and what role it plays in our lives.

Motivation, according to the definition of psychologists, is a state (a set of internal and external driving forces) that prompts a person to direct his activities to achieve a certain goal. That is, to put it simply, if we have a motivation for some action, then it prompts us to implement it, if there is no motivation, then either we do nothing.

A child's motivation to study plays a major role in the educational process. A child who is motivated to learn achieves much greater success in acquiring knowledge. She studies because she wants it, because learning the material makes her happy, because she sees the meaning and purpose of her work. And a much more important role is played here by pleasure and, as a result, the expediency of learning, rather than the desire to get good grades. If the student's only motivation is grades, the assimilation of knowledge occurs mechanically, superficially, and the effect becomes short-lived. Motivation should come from the child's internal movements, and not be the result of external pressure.

So, what can we do to develop a child's motivation for learning?

Discovering talents and learning through play

First of all, you should not squander a child's natural curiosity about the world around him, but constantly support it. Sometimes we have enough opportunities for this, especially when for the hundredth time we hear from the lips of our baby "Why?", "How?", "Why?". But we must remember that these questions are not asked in order to lead us out of ourselves, but in order to satisfy children's cognitive activity regarding the surrounding world. Therefore, you should be patient and not get annoyed or, even worse, not discourage the child from asking questions. In the conversation, you should consider your baby as an equal partner and try to answer his questions as accurately and clearly as possible. And when we do not know the answer to a question, it is necessary to show the child how and where to search: on the Internet, atlas, encyclopedia, etc. This is the first step towards the correct motivation of the child to acquire knowledge.

The next thing to show the child is that acquiring knowledge is a great pleasure and an exciting pastime. Family viewing of educational programs, reading books, trips to the museum or sightseeing are just small examples of such pleasure. But you should not expect that your child will meet them all with enthusiasm. For some, a visit to the aviation museum will be a great entertainment, others will like trips to the zoo or trips to the Philharmonic.

And here comes the next test for parents. A very important issue in raising a child is to engage his interests and abilities and develop them. Because it is known that it is easier and faster for us to learn what interests us and what makes us happy. If the child adores nature and does not tolerate mathematics, it is necessary to allow him to devote his time and attention to what really brings pleasure. Of course, it is also necessary to help with mathematics, and at the same time to explain that it is not at all necessary to have only fives, that the most important thing is self-realization in life. However, more often than not, achieving success in one field entails easier overcoming of problems when studying other subjects. The self-confidence and belief in one's own capabilities, which the child acquires in this case, is the driving force for solving other problems and trials.

Motivation to study at school

It is known that when a child, entering school, that should must study all subjects. Therefore, it is necessary to motivate the child's interest in science as such in general. We cannot expect a child to excel in all subjects, that is not the point. It is about instilling in her a conviction about the expediency of acquiring knowledge. The easiest way to do this is by indicating the connections of the researched material with specific things used in life, for example, combining knowledge of biology and physics with phenomena that occur in nature, applying mathematics tasks in everyday life, seeing the problems of literary heroes that concern each of us

In a situation where we ourselves see the absurdity of the requirements of the school program or the professional inadequacy of one of the teachers, we cannot talk about it in front of the child. If we deny the authority of the school and the teacher, especially in the elementary grades, the child will lose motivation to submit to a system that his parents deny. It can also become a simple excuse for not wanting to do homework or study in general: "I won't do it because the teacher is stupid and the task doesn't make sense."

Not too difficult, not too easy

A sense of competence plays an important role in a child's motivation to study. We like to do what we are good at. If the child decides that the task is too difficult and beyond his capabilities, he will lose the desire to do it. In such a situation, first of all, it is necessary to help the child understand what the difficulty of the task is. Maybe the child simply does not understand what to do? Sometimes it will be quite effective to break the task into smaller parts: "We don't have to read the whole book today, we will read only certain pages", "If the math tasks are difficult, let's start with the simplest and easiest ones."

Sometimes the child is simply paralyzed by the large amount of future work. In this case, it is necessary to help her decide where to start. In such a situation, it is always best to start with a simple task or a favorite subject. If the first tests are successful, the student gets motivation and the desire to act in the future. In turn, it should be taken into account that too easy tasks are not interesting, do not motivate the child and do not lead to the acquisition of new skills.

Raising a child cannot do without the use of a system of incentives and punishments. In the case of motivation for learning, we must be extremely careful. We cannot allow a situation in which the child will expect a reward for every good grade, because then the motivation will not be directed towards learning as such. In the same way, punishment for bad grades can cause rebellion and disgust in a child.

 

Colored pencils

The conditions we create for the child are also important in motivating the child to study. If we arrange a cozy corner for the child with a beautiful desk, at which he can do his homework in peace; if we tell the child that this is his own "kingdom", he will be more willing to "reign" in it. Buying a child's favorite school supplies, a cute pencil case, colored pens and felt-tip pens, notebooks with interesting pictures on the covers - all this provides the child with joy and happiness, he will want to use them with great pleasure, and therefore, do lessons, write or draw.

Love and acceptance are the keys to success

The most important thing, not only in terms of motivation for learning, but also in general, the key to success in raising a child is acceptance (recognition) by his parents, regardless of what he does or how he behaves. A child who grows up in an atmosphere of acceptance, the feeling that he is loved and respected, will more easily accept our point of view. Our belief in a child's potential and helping him to build his own self-belief can do wonders. And a child who is full of faith and self-confidence will more easily overcome problems and withstand various adversities more firmly.