Remember the days of your childhood when studying seemed like such a burden? When you did everything, you could to avoid this task? But years later, when you were all grown up, stepped into adulthood, and realized how valuable those studying hours were?
Children treat studying as a mere nuisance, something they must do to get nagging parents off their backs. In today’s world, where competitiveness is at an all-time high for every available position, children need to be well prepared as they step out of their comfort zones. A good education is all that stands between your child availing an opportunity that could change their life and them ending up compromising on what they want to do in life.
Unfortunately, at an age where children should be giving it their all to study, their minds often find themselves attracted to other frivolous matters. When that happens, as a parent, it’s up to you to make sure that your child gets the help and encouragement they need. Forcing your child to study won’t bear any fruit as your child may end up resenting you. In the worst-case scenario, they may start associating that resentment with studying. Even if these methods don’t yield a satisfactory result, you can always look towards early childhood education programsto get the job done. That is why, instead of forcing, you need to motivate your children to study.
With the methods listed below, you can do just that.
- Let your child study in a manner that they want. Not all children learn through the same methods. While some children retain more information through auditory methods, others learn more through visual means. There are several different methods your child can use to retain information, and not all of them have to conform to the conventional methods that you have used while studying.
Education experts have found out that there are seven different styles of learning, which are visual, auditory, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary. It is up to you to discover which style of learning suits your child the best and then help your child learn by taking that approach. Perhaps their lack of interest in studying stems from the fact that their current way of studying is not yielding any results for them. With you by their side, helping them discover a method that works, you can open them up to a world where they enjoy learning new things.
- Reward your child for their achievements. Many parents think that rewarding their children for behavior that they need to be encouraged to repeat is akin to bribing their children. But the truth is that human beings respond very positively to praise. You may think that an achievement such as being called out for great ideas in class is not something to be happy about, but for your child, it may very well be a praise of the highest order.
You need to celebrate your child’s achievements, no matter how small they are, so that your children realize that their efforts are being noticed. Children thrive on positive reinforcement, and if you reward their acts of studying or getting their homework right, they are going to feel appreciated. As a result, they would try to replicate their behavior for your benefit and theirs too.
- Allow them to set a study schedule that they feel comfortable with. Pushing your child to study at a fixed time every single day won’t yield any positive results. If you want your child to study in a comfortable manner, you need to take their considerations in mind when setting up a schedule for them. Involve your child in the process of creating a study plan, so they feel heard and included. It further gives them confidence in their ability to make choices of their life on their own.
Allow your child an adequate amount of time for recreational activities, so they can’t complain about being forced to study all the time. A schedule will help your child develop a work ethic, and they will study more responsibly instead of just putting it off till the last minute.
- Let them relate learning to real-world implications. You can’t expect your children just to read words of a book and regurgitate them on to a paper later on. You need to allow them to explore the real-world implications of those ideas. For example, if your child is learning about plants in school, then take them to a garden to let them see flora in action. If they are learning about making spreadsheets in school, ask for their help in creating a budget for the household.
By helping them incorporate their knowledge into real-life lessons, you are teaching them how these lessons mean more than just words on a book. You are showing them a glimpse of how they will have to use this wisdom to lead their daily lives.
- Focus on how they are putting in an effort instead of measuring their success. Getting your child interested in studying means telling them that all their efforts are being noticed and appreciated. You need to learn how to praise effort rather than honoring achievement.
Emphasizing only the results of their efforts means you’re teaching them that their effort does not count for anything if it does not end in a desire worthy result. While competitiveness will get them further in life, it is of no use if it is born out of an effort to please their parents. Don’t put extra stress on your child by stressing only on the fruits of their labor. You are instilling fear of failure in your children by telling them that their efforts matter as much as the result.
The Final Word
Your children should be made receptive to the idea of studying. Adopting measures of brute force and coercion are greatly discouraged. The best way is by encouraging a clear line of communication with your children. This is so that everything happens with their consent and approval.
