I have two children and even though I like them a little, I have to say that sometimes they need to be motivated to do homework or help around the house. This article describes how I proceed in this child motivation. The methods have helped my own children no end, and I'm sure they could help other parents in a similar situation.
I remember when I met my stepdaughter, whose name is Karyn. She was five years old and quite a character. But I felt a little sorry for her because she spent a lot of time with the caregiver. The carer took her and picked her up from school. On some days, her mother could only pick her up around 8:00 at evening.
After a few months of dating her mother, I offered to help by taking Karyn to school and picking her up. Karyn said she wanted me to do it and it was all set.
Until now, Karyn had never been forced to do homework, neither by her mother, who was very busy and often tired, nor by a babysitter.
When we got home from school the first day I picked her up, I asked Karyn if she had any homework. She handed me her folder to read. In the folder was a book for her to read. Come on, Karyn will read this book together, I said. I don't do homework, Karyn replied. I told her that was in the past and that she would do it from now on.
Karyn broke down a little and started to cry. You're not my dad, you can't make me do this, she continued. Basically, I had to be very strong and force her to read the book. There were a few words she couldn't read, so I wrote them on a list. We then spent about ten minutes trying to teach her the words. She found it all very boring.
Then I told her that now we are going to play a game called the mouth game. She picked a word from the list, and just said it without making a sound. If I could guess what she said, she would get a point, and then it would be my turn.
Karyn really liked the game and on the way home from school the next day she asked if we could play the game again. Of course, we can, but we have to read the book first, I said. Karyn replied that it was fine. This is one example of the many games we play while doing homework or other tasks that children find mundane.
I also compliment both children and tell them at regular intervals how much I love them and how proud I am of them. I give them rewards when they have a good school report card and encourage them to always put things first, even if they think they might fail at a particular task. In my opinion, there is no such thing as failure if you have tried your hardest.
These are the points which can help you to motivate your children.
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