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Motivating Children to Achieve - Basics

By Andrew Loh



Motivation is the most important key to achieve great things in life. Without motivation, you can never achieve anything tangible or significant. Motivation is also the most important catalyst that can empower you to achieve important goals. Motivation is just like a matchstick that can help you kindle the fire within you, which eventually helps you surge towards the goalpost. Motivation helps your children perform better both in classrooms and out of it. Motivation is the most important tool that can help them to score better grades in the classroom, perform better on playground and learn/master subjects other than the classroom lessons.

Motivation is very critical for your children to succeed in life. In fact, young children learn from everything that they do or perform. Most young children are very curious and eager to learn something. They always want to learn and discover new things in life. The intense urge to learn something is the internal motivation that eventually leads to adventure and exploration. If these bouts of exploration lead to measurable instances of success, they will feel happy for themselves which will lead them to learn more.

What is motivation?

In simple words, motivation is something that urges someone to do something or achieve something. Motivation acts as a fuel to assist people to achieve goals. Motivation can be both intrinsic and extrinsic. In other words, it can be external or internal. Motivation is a very good tool to help develop a positive mind to achieve something tangible or productive in life. Motivation can evolve very early in your children's life.

Internal motivation: Children love to do something, just because they want to do them so badly. For example, playing with a toy or wearing a shirt can be a part of intrinsic motivation. This type of motivation can come from deep inside in their heart. In fact, children make their own choices to play with a particular toy or wear a particular shirt out of a burning need. When they respond to this burning need, they will achieve a sense of deep satisfaction. However, internal motivation can change, transform or shift very drastically, as long as the children decide to continue with a particular activity. In essence, internal motivation is self propelled and self sustaining, until such a time, when the children decide to discontinue with the activity.

External motivation: Children also do something because you tell them to do so. When adults tell children something to do, they will be ready to do that, either to please them or to impress them. Such activities come as a part of external motivation. When you make your children externally motivated, then the reward for achieving something must come from you. At times, you may need to provide them rewards on a continuous basis. When children get their rewards, they will continue to carry on with a particular activity. External motivation is very difficult to maintain and sustain, as adults may no longer show the same level of interest nor may they give rewards on a continuous basis.

The power of intrinsic motivation: Internal or intrinsic motivation is the best type of motivation, just because it comes from your children's mind. Psychological experts believe that intrinsic motivation can provide better results, because children do something on their own without their parents urging them to do so. Intrinsic motivation can provide a range of benefits to your children like:

  • It could be self sustaining and it can have a self momentum.

  • It is also more rewarding to your children.

  • It can provide a sense of deep satisfaction.

  • Learning could be better as well.

  • Learning retention could be better also.

  • Children involve themselves in the learning activity out of sheer interest.

  • Children please themselves and their mind after achieving some important goals.

  • Intrinsic motivation can provide your children a number of options and opportunities.

In life, children expect their parents to do everything for them. In fact, they may have very little motivational levels to work on their classroom projects and assignments. Parents may display a tendency to do or perform activities for their children, rather than motivating them to work on their own. Motivated children are learned and self informed. Lack of achievement motivation seems to be a serious problem, as classroom performances tend to dip down with low motivational levels. The most important key for raising motivated children is to help them realize that building better motivational levels is always beneficial to them and their career. When you teach your children achievement motivation right in their early age, you can have responsible children, who know the importance of achieving important goals and objectives. Continue to read Motivating Children to Achieve - Practical Methods!



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