Everyone wants their children to be independent and motivated to succeed. However, well-intentioned parents often undermine that goal by fostering dependency in their children by constantly doing everything for them and telling them what to do. Your role for your child is to inspire and influence them, not control them. If you are constantly nagging your child, they will never learn the skills necessary to motivate themselves. Here are some tips for raising self-motivated children from Elite Scholars STEAM Academy, a private elementary school in Fairview Heights, IL:
Be accepting of failure
Failure is an inevitable part of life, and it offers us all the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Let your child fail so that they can learn. Teach them that it is okay to fail, but it is important to try again as well.
Encourage their interests
Encourage your child’s interests. This will allow them to have a lens through which to understand what they learn, and give them something with which to motivate themselves to learn. Whether they are obsessed with cars or love baking, there is a way to apply their interest to their education. Children who are interested and engaged are better at motivating themselves.
Foster self-esteem
People can motivate themselves easier when they have more self-worth because they are invested in their success. Instill self-esteem in your children by giving them unconditional love. When your child does something wrong, do not tell them they are “bad,” tell them their actions were wrong. Something as simple as making sure you smile at your child every time walks in the room communicates the love they need to learn to love themselves.
If you are looking for a private elementary school in Fairview Heights, Elite Scholars STEAM Academy offers a wonderful option. Contact us for more information on admissions.