Motivation, Consistency, and Organization

 

Motivation

1. Be enthusiastic - Show them that you enjoy learning new things, ask them to teach you, and show excitement over the subjects they are trying to learn.
2. Take time to talk - listen to their opinions and feelings.  Let them help decide simple things like what to eat for dinner, or what movie to watch.  Show them they are a valued family member.

3. Celebrate achievements - set goals, and create rewards for those goals.  Rewards can be as simple as making banana splits at home, going to the park, or other family outings. 

4. Use positive reinforcement - Praise effort,  rather than telling them they are "smart". 

link
.... Those who had been praised for their effort significantly improved on their first score—by about 30 percent. Those who’d been told they were smart did worse than they had at the very beginning—by about 20 percent.
... “Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control,” she explains. “They come to see themselves as in control of their success. Emphasizing natural intelligence takes it out of the child’s control, and it provides no good recipe for responding to a failure.”

“When we praise children for their intelligence,” Dweck wrote in her study summary, “we tell them that this is the name of the game: look smart, don’t risk making mistakes.”... those who think that innate intelligence is the key to success begin to discount the importance of effort. I am smart, the kids’ reasoning goes; I don’t need to put out effort. Expending effort becomes stigmatized—it’s public proof that you can’t cut it on your natural gifts.

5. Use activities that support different learning styles - cook something in the kitchen to help explain math, make up a song to help memorize lists, go over spelling words while taking a walk outside, go on related field trips - even if it's just making a grocery store trip into an educational lessons. 

6. Be spontaneous - "Kids who are aware of grade-incentives lose interest in the task twice as fast as those who didn't know a reward was coming. So have dinner out to celebrate a good report card or the completion of a tough project. But don't promise it in advance — and don't do it for every success"

Consistency:

How to Be More Consistent with Your Children link

1. Priority behaviors - Pick one thing each week to focus and be consistent with.

2. Tangible Reminders - Use post-it notes, tie a 'remember yarn" around your finger, put a penny in your shoe, or use other tricks to constantly remind you of your priority for that week.

3. Be Patient - it takes about 2 consistent weeks for a good habit to form. 

4. Scheduling - FHE is a great time to discuss weekly goals, and talk about the previous week's accomplishments.  Have personal weekly interviews with each child on their priority item, plan rewards and consequences for their actions, and follow through with your weekly plans. 

5. Perseverance - Once the novelty wears off, it's easy to slip back into old patterns.  Try to stay on task though!

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Organization:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/child_organized.html?tracking=P_RelatedArticle

One big task seems daunting, lots of small organized tasks seem doable.

Begin and end each day with a routine, from waking up and getting dressed, to brushing their teeth and reading scriptures at night.

1. Have a "study spot" in your home to do HW at with all the supplies they need readily available. 

2. Use daily planners, or a written calendar on the wall that they can see and understand.

3. Talk through their daily schedules with them.  When do they need to turn in their library books?  what day do they need to wear sneakers for school? 

4. Start the night before.  Mornings can be chaotic, if their bags are packed and ready to go the night before, they can start their days off without drama.  It doesn't take any more time to get organized the night before, either way you have to do it, why not do it ahead of time?

5. Organize their school papers.  It's as simple as getting a box to put their graded papers into. 

It seems like a lot to do,
but it will be worth it and time-saving in the end!