As the children get older, the courses become more and more complicated and some of them become discouraged with their studies. It is a fairly common concern for parents, who want their children to get good grades and be good students, and this does not always happen. Today we want to talk about this, about how to make a child study. How to motivate him more in his studies and what things are better to avoid.
Why don't children want to study?
Especially from 2nd year of ESO, we begin to see a significant drop in the level of study and attention. It can be due to many factors. We tend to blame the child but they are not always factors that he can control. It is essential to know what the reason is to find a solution and help you.
Among the reasons that can lead a child to not study are:
- Bullying or bullying. Children who are bullied tend to have an impact on their study, concentration and school results. Constant threats take a toll on the child who does not see school as a safe place to learn. Do not miss the article "How to teach children to deal with bullying".
- Family problems. Children find out about everything, and if there is discomfort at home it is normal that it affects their school performance. If there are arguments at home, bad manners, yelling or cold silences, children will notice. Analyze if this may be the cause.
- Lack of motivation. Your child may be unmotivated, may not understand the importance of studying, or may not see any incentive to study. Punishments only reinforce the idea that studying is boring and something that you only do if you are threatened. We will see some examples later to help you with motivation.
- Lack of understanding of subjects. If they don't understand some subjects, they may already give up and not bother trying. At this point they may need reinforcement in those subjects and feel supported by their parents.
How to make a child study
After recognizing what is the cause that leads the child to not study and taking action, we can also help you at home with tips to motivate you to study more.
- Establish a study routine. Children need routines, and in the study it could not be less. Set a schedule at home where I study roughly the same time every week. This way you will get into the habit and it will not cost you so much to start studying.
- Prepare a suitable area for your study. A place with good lighting, where there are no interruptions or distractions, that has a good temperature and has everything you need. A comfortable place to study.
- Get involved in your studies. If during the week it is impossible because of work, you can take advantage of the weekend to review your homework, notes, review the lesson, see if they have exams soon ... It is not about doing their work or homework, but guiding them, supporting and motivating them in something as important as your studies.
- Discover their interests and skills. We all have something that we are very good at and that naturally motivates us. Try to discover what your child's ability is and thus also work on it and use it as an intrinsic motivator.
- Offer learning strategies. Depending on the child and the subjects, we can offer him strategies to improve learning, organize his time, be more effective, make better use of time ... You can teach him to make summaries, underline the important parts and make diagrams to facilitate learning.
- Positively reinforce. Value and acknowledge all that he does well with words and gestures. “You have done very well”, “this is how it is done”, “you are improving a lot”. Recognitions improve the conception of ourselves and our abilities, and motivate us to want to do better.
Because remember ... grades are not always a reflection of effort. Also value the effort your child makes even if it is not reflected in the grades.