Motivation is what makes us do something, take some action to achieve a goal. Motivation can be internal (when we decide for ourselves that we need it) and external (when circumstances or other people force us to).
Internal motivation is an independent desire to achieve something: success in your studies or career, self-improvement and building relationships with others. When a person or child is intrinsically motivated, they move towards the goal by themselves.
But if there is no such motivation, external incentives are needed to influence the person or child. For example, in the case of children, parents often use various rewards to stimulate their desire to learn. For example, these include games, sweets, toys, trips to interesting places, etc.
Extrinsic motivation makes a child dependent on a reward: if it disappears, the incentive to do something will also disappear.
How to motivate a child without obvious rewards?
Surely you know everything about your children's interests. Use them to guide your child along the right path.
So, here are a few points to help you create the motivation you want for your child.
Objectives
Set simple goals so your child knows where they're going. For example, explain to your child that it is necessary to go to bed early so as not to be late for the school fair in the morning, where there will be a lot of interesting things.
Older children and adolescents can set longer-term goals related to choosing a future profession and building a successful career.
Challenge
Competition is a great way to motivate a child to do something, but it would be ideal if he competed against... himself. A good option is to write down the child's results in a notebook to see how their skills in any area have improved. For example, yesterday a child read 10 words per minute, but today it's already 11! Praise him and say he has outdone himself.
New skills
Learning something new and unusual is what can perfectly motivate a child. Especially if his parents or older children in the family already know how to do it.
Encourage children to start anything new, develop their curiosity and a creative view of the world.
Give a choice
Show that you trust your child and let him control some situations and make his own choices. For example, let him choose what he wears to a school party or a friend's birthday.
Supportive environment
No matter how trite it may sound, don't forget to praise the child! Try not to be too pushy and overbearing: this can make children feel rejected and want to do the opposite.
Moreover, forget about condemnation. This is one of the easiest ways to demotivate your child and make them afraid to even try something. Instead of judging, teach children to accept their faults and even turn them into virtues.
Bonus: two motivating games to play with kids
Treasure hunt
This game can be played during the school week. Every day, while doing homework, the child receives a hint so that he can discover the “treasure” on the last day. Let it be something that the child is interested in: a new book about pirates or cats, a ticket to a robot exhibition, etc.
Races at the zoo
For this game, you will need small animal figures and some space for a “treadmill”. It is best to use sheets of paper that should be marked at equal distances from each other. Encourage your child to choose an animal and set it up on an impromptu start. Now, as soon as the child does his homework, move the animal one section forward until it reaches the finish line. The winner can be awarded a certificate of honor or a gold paper medal, or maybe a trip to a real zoo.
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