How to motivate your child

‘Action breeds motivation’ as the saying goes but sometimes it can be a challenging thing when it comes to children.

Here are a few tips to help motivate your child:

Always celebrate your child’s achievements, no matter how small. By letting your child know how proud you are of what they have accomplished at school can be a huge motivator.

Ask questions and be enthusiastic about the things that they do. By asking your child questions about their school, teachers, and friends it shows that you have an interest in what they have done during the day and will motivation your child needs.

Encourage your child to express their opinion and to talk about their feelings. You could also ask for their input on family decisions, and show that you value it.

Try to turn everyday events into learning opportunities. Encourage them to explore the world around them by asking questions.

Try to replace of the word ‘homework’ with the word ‘study’. Have a study time instead of a homework time. Study time is about studying or learning, even if you don’t have any homework. Also establish a study routine at the same time every day. Let your children have some input on when this may be. Once the time is set, stick to that it. Children thrive on structure even if they protest about it.

Get them involved in activities other than school work. Kids may be unmotivated at school simply because they haven’t become involved with an activity they like doing. Most schools offer a variety of interesting after school activities to get involved with. Sometimes finding just one activity that gets your child excited may be all that’s needed to get them excited about going to school. If there is nothing offered by the school then there are plenty of different activities for children available around Oxford. It is important to find something that your child really wants to do and one that is well organised and runs throughout the year.

At the Koushinkan Aikido Oxford martial arts club we offer after school classes at venues around Oxford. A lot of the parents of our students say that they have noticed a difference in their child’s behaviour and motivation since they have joined one of our classes. Why not book a free lesson for your child. We believe that our Aikido classes in Oxford will help your child motivate themselves.

My son has been training at the Koushinkan Aikido Oxford club for a year now and he always comes home full of energy. His school teacher has commented that his concentration has improved since he has started training in Aikido.