Study regularly- Getting children to study can be a big challenge since it is not an activity that is qualified as ‘fun’. However, you want them to acquire the habit so that they can achieve all their goals and, of course, meet the academic goals.
Creating the habit of regular study is not the work of the school. It is a team effort whose main support rests with the parents. Now, this great responsibility does not have to become the stone of Sisyphus or a Calvary; in fact, it can be achieved in a very simple way.
First of all, our attitude should be guides. Thus, we will feel that we are participating organically in the learning process in such a way that they can exercise authority, but without the effort being solely on our part. We must be there to accompany them, guide them and help them, not to walk the path for them.
In view of the above, our work goes beyond ‘controlling’ children. It is about channeling the learning process in a fluid way so that we do not become too overwhelmed or discourage our children. And yes, there will be more difficult days than others, but in general, the dynamics must be enjoyable.
Create good habits
Second, we must have something very present: not all children are equal; therefore, the pace of learning can always vary. There will be times more accelerated than others, while in some, it will be necessary to stop and review the content several times to achieve assimilation. The important thing is that we do not intend to create a study habit overnight.
Like any other habit, you need to have an organization that basically consists of: perseverance, patience and perseverance. Therefore, we will have to set a schedule (of an appropriate duration, according to the child’s age) and keep it in time. Later, we can see how the schedule, although it varies, does not imply that the activity is abandoned. Once the school stage has begun , it is important to follow some recommendations:
- Propose strategies to facilitate learning, according to the content.
- Establish a specific place to study and do homework.
- Interact with the children to share what they have learned or, put it into practice.
- Promote a relaxed atmosphere so that responsibility is taken with a good attitude. But above all, let’s take care of school motivation .
Learning strategies to get children to study regularly
For children to study, it is important to apply techniques that promote the balance between their time and their energies. One of them is to teach them to carry a small agenda or a weekly calendar . In both, they can write down their duties, visualize them as priorities and, thus, develop a study routine.
It is true that there will be times when some circumstance that modifies the routine will arise, but the necessary adjustments must be made so that the study is not postponed unnecessarily and the changes do not become usual.
Observe the study area and try to be free of distractions. However, it is not necessary to prevent children from personalizing the space.
When studying, it is necessary to help children prepare their mental maps. If you must read something or learn it, we can use the underline technique, the images, the key words, among others. All this will allow you to record and learn not only words or concepts, but ideas. So you will come to understand and assimilate the content.
Of course, we should not pretend to be ‘over’ for children to study all the time nor to think that study should be their only activity. Therefore, it is important not to rule out recreational activities. After all, leisure time also favors the development of our children.
Help them to have the right attitude
It is not easy for children to start school . We must bear in mind that we should not propose the study as opposed to the game. While it is true that not everything in life consists of playing, study is not a punishment for playing or much less. It is simply a need that must be met in order to achieve all the objectives and goals.
We may have to exert some pressure, they, in turn, may feel somewhat disoriented and wonder what benefits them. In addition, certain phases of negative results may occur where your children are blocked, unmotivated or defenseless in the face of lack of concentration or anxiety. Therefore, your job of shaping your attitude towards studies will be part of the key to success later.
For that reason, if within the discipline that we inculcate to your children you manage to implement techniques to achieve a strategic learning and not for repetition, the results will be much better since they will feel at ease. Children must learn to see the dimensions of their effort , in terms of personal benefit. By experiencing the achievement, you will feel motivated to move forward.
In conclusion, to also ensure that children study, we must actively participate day by day. And, as in other cases, our example will be very important for them and they will undoubtedly notice that we are truly interested in their welfare and progress.
How to motivate children to study regularly
Approach to the problem
They claim that on one occasion the genius of Albert Einstein denied that his discoveries were the result of his brilliant intelligence. In fact, he presented different learning problems during his school years that relegated him to a very discreet level. Einstein claimed that all the merit was not so much his intelligence but his perseverance. In other words, I had a great motivation to succeed in what was proposed.
When a child faces the challenge of going to school, take some learning, do some exams and pass, your results will be determined by two major factors:
- Your intellectual capacity. That is, its learning potential.
- Your motivation for the study.
It is easy to guess that a child with good learning potential and low motivation will have poor results, making this more evident as the child gets older as it will depend on more work and study hours. However, a child with a normal learning potential or slightly low, but with a high motivation will probably take the courses forward.
To take another example, children qualified as “gifted”which are characterized, among other things, by a high learning potential, can have school failure and even not reach career. One of the causes is that their level of motivation is directed towards other interests outside the school. We could therefore conclude that the motivation for the study is the most important factor in predicting a child’s school performance, although, it is expected that a good intellectual quotient (IQ) will facilitate learning and therefore the child’s motivation to study, but this will not always be the case.
Where to start: Some previous reflections
Know the characteristics of the child
We have commented that a good intellectual capacity without motivation can lead to school failure, but also, a child who has limited abilities or a specific learning disorder can make him lose motivation for the study. Therefore, if there is any suspicion of any difficulty in learning , in parallel to motivate him in his duties, we should make an evaluation to detect these possible difficulties because if we stay only motivate him and we are not able to give him the resources and means he needs for such learning, we probably will not advance.
Ask yourself when the child stopped being motivated by the studies
The child has always presented a demonization towards school and study or has it been a sudden thing? The answer to this question is important given that we can assess whether we are facing an attitude that has been built, that is, there are children who have always struggled to advance and, therefore, may have developed a certain disinterest in something that costs them more than their peers and this produces low motivation.
It is very different when demonization occurs at a particular time in the child’s developmental cycle. The child who drops suddenly in his school grades at any given time can point out the intrusion of external factors. These can be family-related (economic problems, marital breakdowns, etc.) but also intra-school. Sometimes we find children who are easy victims of other colleagues or even some who decide to download notes to be better accepted in the group. If we are not able to detect these problems, we can hardly help to motivate them.
Are we as parents coherent models with what we ask?
Later we will talk about routines, work, effort, etc, but are we consistent with what we ask our children? Are we in a position to motivate our children?
Here goes a first golden rule:
Children always learn more from what they see in their reference models (usually parents) than from the verbal instructions they receive from them.
This means that if I want to motivate my son, I must be the first to set an example. How can I ask him to read a book, to do his homework, to make an effort, if he has never seen me pick up a book and enjoy his reading and I also remember him lying on the couch drinking a beer. Although the father can argue in his defense that he has already worked and now deserves a break, it will be of little use if we want to motivate our son towards the effort. It is not about adopting any special role, but asking for it with sincerity, sitting down with him, telling him how happy he feels to be able to help him and how important it is for us to see him doing his homework or studying.
To dedicate these daily times to children is to encourage motivation in them. It is not about doing theater, which would bother the child more, but sending the message that we are with him in his effort.
If as adults we have not been able to transmit illusion, guidelines, objectives, perseverance and also why not, rewards, we will not be in the best conditions to motivate our children.
Many times I remind parents that the important changes we want to implement in our children will come true as long as we are able to apply them to ourselves as well.
Conditions for the study
It is also important to motivate the children in the study to have enough space with their own material in a quiet area and outside of distracting elements (noise, windows to the street, etc). Factors such as adequate lighting and temperature are very important for its proper performance. As far as possible we can let the child to personalize their study corner according to their preferences. This will make you feel in a closer and personal place.
Finally, make sure your children to study regularly and your child understand that you think education is important and that you have to do homework. You can help your child with homework in the following ways: set aside a special place for your child to study, set a time to do homework, and eliminate distractions such as television and social calls. There are also many ways you can help if you do not know the subject thoroughly or because you do not speak English as well as your child.
