Motivation is an important skill that can help you achieve your dreams and desires in life. On the contrary, lack of motivation can affect an individual’s personal performance, which can have a huge impact on their life.
And the issue of absence of motivation is quite common in children, which could pass onto adulthood if not taken care of. Thus, parents should keep an eye on their child’s behavior and look for any possible signs of hopelessness and discouragement. Adopting certain tips and strategies can help motivate an unmotivated child. Here are four strategies parents can use.
Take Interest in Your Child’s Interests
We all love doing things that truly make us happy, and children are no different. If you think your child has lost interest in studies or other activities, encourage them to take up things that make them happy. Observe what they enjoy and offer them ways to work on that particular activity. Or, club the activities they like with the skills you want them to develop. For instance, if your child likes comics, buy them new and interesting comics, as it will help them develop their reading skills.
Use Small Gestures to Motivate Them
Dealing with children is easy. They can get motivated and demotivated at the same time by your small actions. Parents should treat their children with small but thoughtful gestures to ignite the feeling of motivation and willingness in them. For instance, decorating their study room with inspirational wall frames or their favorite footballer can be helpful. Or, you can also give them fake diplomas with the original details mentioned of their dream school. This can act as a dose of inspiration for the child.
Utilize Their Strengths
Utilizing strength-based parenting can drastically increase your child’s happiness and satisfaction in different ways. Experts advise that parents should place their child’s strengths at the center of their parenting approach. Remember that children need to feel successful in a few fields rather than feeling mediocre in every field. In fact, research has shown that even the slow learners children can do something extraordinary once they find where their strength lies.
Avoid Too Much ‘Motivational’ Talk
It might burst your bubble but one thing that science has discovered over the years is that ‘motivational talks’ hardly work. Regardless of your intentions, discussing with your child the value of hard work is less likely to change the way they perceive things. So, parents should take a more practical approach and ask their children about their future endeavors. Ask them what it is they would like to do in the future and help them work towards their goals. Remember not to force your decisions on them, as it can further worsen their motivation level.
The Bottom Line
While lack of motivation is a common issue in children, it could be a symptom of certain disorders. If you think your child’s absence of motivation is followed by other factors like procrastination and difficulty in concentration, seek professional help to know whether your child has a learning problem.