|
How Can I Motivate My Son?
Q: “How can I motivate my ten-year-old
son? He’s not motivated to do anything—sports,
academics, or social things. I’m worn out with continually
pushing him.”
A: If your child lacks motivation to study and/or participate
in other activities, you need to begin by seeking the Lord
in prayer and asking for guidance in understanding your
child and discerning any underlying issues contributing
to his or her lack of motivation.
One suggestion for proceeding is to talk honestly and openly
with your child about what academic or social activities
he or she wants to study or is interested in participating
in. Maybe your child wants academic activities to be more
hands on and less text book oriented. Maybe your child is
studying one musical instrument but would rather try another.
Maybe your child would like to be involved in more exercise
oriented activities instead of competitive sports events.
Allow your child to be honest even if what he or she says
isn't what you wanted or expected to hear.
In addition to talking with your child, you might also
observe what activities he or she chooses to do during free
time. If your child goes to the library, observe what kind
of books he or she picks to read. Greg Harris, speaker and
author of numerous books on homeschooling, suggests finding
whatever it is that your child is interested in and making
that THE school subject. For example, if your child is interested
in trains, make a unit study about trains and work all of
the academic subjects around that subject. Check out library
books and videos on trains. Recycle math word problems using
train cars and train terminology; for science, learn about
steam power and electricity; for social studies, map out
train routes and study the history of trains. Have him write
book reports and essays about what he’s learning.
In other words, consider restructuring curriculum based
on these types of observations combined with your child's
verbal feedback. Try to motivate your child towards his
or her strengths and "natural bents" or interests.
Then remember to reward your child as you see improvements
in his or her motivation. For example, good academic work
can be rewarded with a break for free time.
You might also ask your child if he or she is worried,
bothered or lonely. Lovingly, help him or her to face any
real or imagined fears. If loneliness is a problem, joining
a homeschool support group can be an excellent place for
both you and your child to be encouraged and to meet and
make new friends.
On a lighter note, one veteran homeschool mom I know sat
down with her unmotivated child and said, “I love
you. I’m your parent, and it’s my responsibility
to prepare you for life. I know that you’ve decided
that you don’t want to study, but, because I’m
concerned about your future, I’ve decided, in lieu
of studying, from now on, I am going to begin training you
in very practical life skills so that you will be able to
get a job later on.” She then proceeded to design
a daily regimen of menial household chores and responsibilities
for him. After about three days, her son was a very eager
and MOTIVATED student!
Be encouraged that as a homeschool parent, you know your
child better than anyone else ever could, and that with
God's help, no one could ever be more qualified than you
to help your child overcome motivational problems and grow
towards the adult God created him or her to be.
If you have a homeschooling question and
would like to “Ask The Veterans”, please put
it in writing to Board@OmahaHEN.org
or to: HEN Newsletter, 2610 Morrie Dr., Bellevue, NE 68147.
We will forward your question along to our veteran moms
who will respond for publishing in a future newsletter.
The information provided on this site does
not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any of
the members of the Home Educators Network. HEN does not
endorse the viewpoints nor recommend the products represented
by any of the links from this site. These links are offered
as points which are of interest and use to many homeschoolers.
None of the information distributed by HEN, either verbal
or written, is intended as legal advice and should not take
the place of legal counsel from a qualified, informed attorney. |
