Empower Your Child With Intrinsic Motivation – Part 2
In our previous article, we looked into why intrinsic motivation is necessary for a healthy, happier mindset and provided a few steps you can take to introduce it to your child. To recap, intrinsic motivation is when someone is able to motivate themselves without the need of an external reward or punishment. Giving your child responsibilities helps set up self-discipline, a trait that will give them the strength to push themselves forward. Having them set up their own goals lets them feel more empowered and determined to achieve it.
Let’s look at a few more equally vital methods you can apply to reinforce this behaviour.
Praise their efforts and push them to improve
Children need affirmation – obstacles they encounter can make them feel like they are not good enough. It’s important to acknowledge and praise their efforts to let them know that they are on the right track. For instance, if they have been studying hard to do well in a test, but did not get the score they want. Tell them that it’s a good thing to put in effort and also talk to them to find out why they did not reach their goal. Give pointers on how they can improve and ask them to come up with a plan on how they can work on it. Repetition is necessary, but don’t overdo it! You don’t want them to become complacent.
Teach them to value the journey as much as the outcome
To prevent them from becoming demotivated, talk about how important the process of learning and improving are. Don’t dismiss the negative feelings they may have, but provide a different perspective to help lessen the effect of that unhappiness. Use your own experiences as an example so that you can relate to them. It will help them build the resilience they need to continue pushing on.
Put it into practice with them
One of the best ways to do this is to set an example yourself, if you want your child to take up a challenge or learn something new, you can do it too! You can both put aside time, maybe an hour a day, to learn a new skill. For example, if you both want to learn calligraphy, write a quote on the first day, then compare it to what you can do a month later with practice. Discuss about your progress and theirs, encourage each other. When they are able to see their own improvements, they will be able to grasp the value of the journey.
In any case, intrinsic motivation plays a vital part for children to grow into lifelong learners. There will be a constant need to encourage and nurture this mindset when introducing it to children, as they might find it difficult to understand an abstract concept. However, in time, they will become disciplined and determined to improve themselves, without relying on someone to give them a reward.
Empower your child with intrinsic motivation through Starworks! By providing an enriching environment where students can learn critical thinking and discuss views, they will soon discover an enjoyable learning process. Fostering communication skills helps them express themselves clearly and they’ll be able to see how far they’ve improved throughout the program. Check out our program by clicking on the link below!
