How to Motivate Children to Study Without Forcing Them – Part 1

As a parent, you have a crucial role in your child’s learning. But before you do anything about it, you need to understand why your child is not willing to study.

Understand That Every Child Is Different

Every child is unique and has a different way of learning. While motivating your child to study, it is necessary to pay attention to what makes him or her click! Very often, yelling at them does not get any sustainable positive results. For a while, they might sit down and get the homework done, but this is unlikely to become a regular habit and in no way enhances their knowledge in the long-term. In cases like this, the child studies only out of the fear of getting scolded and won’t understand the details of the task at hand—in the end, hardly any knowledge is acquired with barely any learning taking place.

The Solution

If you see a regular pattern of your child finding excuses to avoid studying, there are a few things you can do. Most of the time, the issue behind de-motivation lies in the root of other problems. These can sometimes be quite serious, because we have to remember that your child’s emotional health is just as important as their academic results. There have been studies which state that children going through any kind of mental abuse at school tend to perform badly in grade tests.

Instances of bullying, physical or otherwise, results in the withdrawal of children from social gatherings may lead to children growing up in isolation and possibly increasing their demand for attention. With the lack of love and care showered upon them, their learning may be hampered as a result. In other instances, changing family dynamics can disrupt a child’s habits. This is especially so if the family has gone through some changes that could include a new family member, or even, the loss of a family member.

There may be other factors that lead to a child struggling in a particular subject in school. It could be due to the way it is being taught, or simply due to its level of difficulty. With such factors surfacing, children may choose to shun their subjects and avoid doing any practices. Reduced attention spent on nurturing the subject may eventually lead to a decrease in their academic results, further affecting their motivation to excel.

Empathy, not anger

Instead of getting angry with their children, it is important for parents to find out the main issue that the child has. In the end, it is the parents who should be more familiar with their child’s academic and behavioural habits. If parents find that their children are behaving oddly, approach them gently and ask what’s wrong. Phrase the questions in a way that sounds loving; “How does it feel to be at school?” “Are you having difficulty with the homework on your own?” “How can we make studying easier for you?” It is always encouraged that parents should come from a position of empathising with the child.

While it is frustrating to know that your child can do better in their academics, yet not have fully reached their potential, remember that it is also vexing for them because no child would want to disappoint their parents. As a parent, it is best to ensure that our children are emotionally healthy so that they can perform to the best of their abilities.

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