Motivating Your Students Without the Drama

Motivating our students can be an uphill battle. We want them to focus and work hard, but they are inclined by their nature and encouraged by society to be distracted. There is always something more interesting or fun to do.

Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny open their tool kit of ways to encourage our children to work hard and develop good study skills without it being a constant battle. Hang on, this will be fun.

Program Notes

Motivation can be a wispy, ethereal thing arriving at inopportune times. I prefer to instill:

1. Good habits and routines.

2. This allows a child to do “the thing” without thinking about “getting down to it.” 

3. That said, a little motivation can go a long way to making the process more pleasant. 

Five Ways to Motivate

1. Gamify the lesson. This brilliant, simple technique tip from Laura Berquist:

• Challenge the child to “beat the clock” with math problems or spelling tests.
• Set a timer – see how many problems can be answered correctly before it rings.
• Use nickels as prizes; money is a great motivator.

2. Socialize the work. Teens (and preteens) need to be with their peers. 

• Try getting a study group, history or science, and learn the subject matter together.
• Add some snacks and free time to goof off
• They will likely work harder at the subject than they would on their own. 

3. Tie the lessons to the life goals. A concrete goal is a good motivator. 

• If you want to travel and study abroad in college, study your Italian lessons.
• If you want to attend medical school, let’s focus on the sciences. 
• If all else fails, the “you need to do this to get this” is a good life lesson.

4. Work alongside them—at least for a while. 

• If your student struggles with writing, try partner writing for the first paragraph. 
• He writes a line, and you write the next line; it works with math problems, too.
• Sometimes, that blank page can seem so overwhelming that it is easier not to try. 

5. Take a break. 

• A little break in the action will refresh and motivate. 
• Plan a four-day weekend and a field trip. 
• A museum or planetarium day or a nature hike or camping trip.  

Bottom Line: Focusing on developing good habits is the key to success as a student, but having some pleasant motivation makes for a happier student and a happier homeschool.

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Homeschooling Resources

• Seton Home Study School

• Seton Testing Services