Action
Points to motivate our children
1. Create
context and situations that enhance the child’s security, self-concept
and sense of belonging.
2. Favour
situations in which the child can discover himself by doing things
well and worthy of praise.
3. Find
out from the child:
What
doesn’t satisfy him.
What
motivates him.
If he
is spontaneous or responds to being victimised or to a family rebellion.
What makes him think that he can’t do certain things that
he’s not going to be successful.
What
makes him give up easily and what makes him make a big effort to
achieve results.
Action
points:
1. Create
contexts in which the child realises the advantages of delayed gratification.
This is giving up to immediate satisfaction to achieve more satisfactory
results in the long run.
2. Find
out what your child wants to do in life. There’s no doubt that
your child has needs and desires which sometimes he is not aware of.
You can use the dynamics of a group and games, in which the child
can dream and visualize himself doing a specific job, with certain
tasks, achieves results, attention and admiration.
3. Use
the “only today” technique to avoid anxiety and motivate
the child to try out things that he wants to achieve: only today am
I going to do this job, only today am I going to make this effort.
Tomorrow repeat the dose.
4. Give
your child the possibility to motivate himself by recognizing and
praising his positive results.
5. Using
personal examples explain to your child the importance of sending
himself positive messages which allow him to disqualify negative situations.
6. Generate
collaboration and mutual support at home and at school, so that the
child feels motivated and it is in his interest to show off to his
family members and/or school friends collaborating in common tasks.
7. Organize
your child’s time – have a diary of activities. Use colours,
a different colour per activity. Instead of mentioning the activity,
mention the colour to indicate the task.
8. Make
your children realize that what they are doing is important. Acknowledge
that what they are doing is not easy and the fact that they are trying
means something. Don’t disregard success, but recognise it and
praise it in a specific way.
9. Express
and verbalize immediate reinforcement after a success. Recognized
successes, although small, can help increase motivation.
10. Reduce
anxiety using the game as a learning instrument and motivation.
11. Make
sure you don’t loose your confidence in your child even if your
child experiences total or partial failures in the stages he is growing.
We all have potential to grow without a limit.
12. You
can make posters of recognition at the end of the day or week, for
activities that your child has carried out well.
13. Every
month organize some group interactions to get a personal evaluation.
Discuss whether there has been a change in attitude or behaviour at
home, at school, with your child’s relationships with others,
with himself. This will get your child used to doing a personal analysis
which will make them know themselves and make conscious decisions.
14. Show
you trust your child
15. Help
your child to fix ambitious but realistic objectives, ones that he
can achieve.
16. Encourage
your child’s interests, talents and activities with drawing,
playing games, commitments, exchanges, reflection, relaxation, physical
and mental group or individual exercise.
17. Organize
a prize system that serves as a supplementary incentive project for
actions carried out.
18. Don’t
consider failure as something negative but as an opportunity to learn
and practice.
