“It’s ultimately the purpose of education to cultivate the love of learning for its own sake”, Michael Sandel.
It can be hard to motivate your child to learn and get their school work done..
Right???
Wouldn’t it be AMAZING if you could motivate your child to learn without the nagging?
It’s very possible!
Learning should not be frustrating or terrible for your child.
It should be a core part of daily life.
Math worksheets that practice counting may be effective, but playing Trouble (the board game) can give that same practice…
Count the dots on the dice, then count the spaces.
You can even add extra rules into the game where you need to write the number down too.
There are so many ways to make learning fun, sometimes all you need is creativity.
1. Read often and make it fun!
Making reading a part of normal life and focusing on making it fun can be helpful.
Even if your family starts late, get exciting books, talk about passions, and modeling the excitement for books is still possible.
Choosing topics that your child WANTS to know about is a great way to motivate them to learn.
In addition, reading helps:
- build richer vocabulary,
- the brain learn how to process concepts,
- provide a great family activity,
- and it is a great quiet time activity.
Kids will read more when we make it fun, fill the home with books, and encourage kids to read words they can during family reading time.
When reading is fun, instead of frustrating, so is learning in general.
Let kids choose books and topics that they are interested in.
And then structure that time into the day so it becomes normal in the house.
2. Encourage opinions, questions, feelings, and choices
It is important that kids feel free and encouraged to share thoughts and opinions…
even if you disagree.
When kids can share opinions, questions, and feelings without fear of judgment or being ignored…
their curiosity will only get stronger.
I know that it can be hard when your child asks about EVERYTHING…
All. The. Time.
But it is so important to encourage that curiosity because it will help motivate your child to learn.
Maybe you can research the answer together instead of answering or guessing.
Write it down for later if you are not home.
If your child gives an opinion, ask questions to learn more.
Be curious about their thoughts, feelings, and choices.
Ask open-ended questions (questions that are not yes/no).
Life can get so busy that we forget to engage with our kids in the conversation that leads to discovery.
3. Develop hobbies
Hobbies and passions are perfect ways to motivate your child to learn!
Every subject can be learned using interests and hobbies.
That’s why gameschooling is getting more popular.
Gameschooling is using all kinds of games to teach the required subjects.
Like teaching counting with Trouble, or addition/subtraction with Risk.
You can use hobbies and interests to encourage learning,
or create all their schooling using the unit studies style homeschool.
By using and following passions and hobbies, kids are going to have a lot more fun learning.
It is easier to motivate your child to learn when they are having fun.
4. Provide play for all learning styles
Children (and adults) learn in different ways.
Have you ever realized that you learn something better by reading something?
Or watching it?
Or even doing something yourself?
We call those ways “learning styles”.
When you know your child’s learning style, learning gets smoother and more enjoyable.
When learning is enjoyable, it is also easier to motivate your child to learn.
There are 7 learning styles: visual, auditory, verb, physical, logical, social, and solitary.
Kids are often a mix so it is best to do learning activities are a mix of many of them.
The more variety of learning styles you can use, the better the learning will be…
And that help kids have more fun learning.
5. Pay attention to new exciting things
Kids are naturally curious and want to know more about new things they are excited about.
They have fun learning about interesting and exciting things.
This is the core of unschooling.
You can see what excites your kids.
Maybe they love water…
Or unicorns!
Whatever has them excited and fascinated right now, lean into that and encourage exploration.
You will not have to motivate your child to learn because they will be it themselves!
We have many amazing tools for learning at our fingertips.
Help them use those tools!
6. Give kids some control
Kids, like adults, love to be in control.
This can be done as simply as giving options, even if all options are ones you want.
For example,
- they can read a book of their choice or
- write a page about a topic.
Both are educational, but they have the control that makes them more willing to get it done.
In traditional education, kids rarely have any choice or control.
This is part of the reason some kids avoid learning.
If we guide but let them control, they will have more fun learning.
7. Encourage through example
“Do as I say but not as I do” is not something kids will follow!
If you want kids to try more new foods, start by doing that yourself.
Show kids what it is like to love learning.
Let them see that you read.
Let them see that you get interested and excited about learning, and they will start to follow.
Enthusiasm rubs off.
It is our job to show our kids that they can have fun learning instead of it always being a chore.
Don’t be overwhelming or overbearing, just get excited about discovering things.
8. Focus on what they are learning, not on performance
Instead of asking how they did in school, ask them to show you something they learned.
This is great for public schooled kids or the parent that is not the one homeschooling.
Performance is important, but focusing on the learning experience will:
- Communicate that learning is more important than tests.
- Results are not most important
- They are more important than their tests.
- And gives them a chance to put the lesson into their own words, which is the highest level of learning
Society puts a lot of weight on test results, but when we prioritize the learning process…
Learning becomes less stressful and more fun.
It will be easier to motivate your child to learn when they don’t have that stress and pressure.
9. Teach organization
The brain is naturally more willing to do something when it is easy.
For example, cooking dinner is easier in a clean kitchen than it is in a dirty kitchen.
It is natural for the brain to resist something that seems like a lot of work.
If learning is difficult, trying to motivate your child to learn will be close to impossible.
If you aren’t the best at organizing, then learn together!
As a past homeschooled student, I loved when my mom and I had to learn something together instead of her always knowing.
Here are some organizing tips to get you started!
If daily learning and reading are easy, then it will be more enjoyable.
Organize the bookshelf or
Make the art supplies easier to access.
When I was a child, we had a table cover for art time and a plastic shelf for the art supplies.
Both were easy for me to grab and set up.
I did art A LOT.
I created my own books about things that I was learning.
I made birthday presents.
I made things to sell (which started my entrepreneur journey).
But none of that would have happened without the supplies being organized and easy to use.
10. Recognize and celebrate
How often do your kids show you artwork that they made?…
Or something in a book the thought was interesting?
My guess… often.
Recognize that and celebrate it!
Ask questions
Ask them to tell you why they thought it was cool.
Or what the character in their drawing is doing.
The better each learning experience is, the more you will motivate your child to learn.
They will be super excited to show you what they do next!
11. Make every day a learning day
Everything we do is built by learning.
We had to learn how to do the things we don’t even think about now, like breathing and eating.
So try to find ways to add learning to daily life in a fun way.
Get kids involved in everyday tasks.
It doesn’t have to be stressful or forced.
And it is easier to start when they are little.
But involving your kids in the things you do can help them learn, and make those tasks more fun for you.
If you can accept that it will not be smooth and probably won’t be perfect for a long time.
One thing that all of these tips have in common is that we need to change learning from a chore to something exciting.
When learning becomes fun, it will be easier and quicker to motivate your child to learn.
Speak creatively and pay attention to what makes your kids excited, and build off of that.
Don’t take this post and try to make a ton of changes in your life at once!
Choose one and make it the new normal, then choose another.
What will your family start with?
Let me know in the comments!
