Another slammed door. Another homework battle. Could your child be de-motivated? Here are some of the tell-tale signs:
- They avoid asking for help
- They get angry and frustrated easily
- They refuse to do homework
- They say they are useless or hate school
As a parent, it’s so hard to face up to this as it’s not how it’s supposed to be? But don’t worry.. We have some ideas to help your child get back on track.
First things first
Don’t despair. The first thing to do is isolate why your child could be feeling this way:
- Do they have a recognised learning problem?
- Have they had a change in teacher/class/table?
- Have they sat exams recently, or had a school report?
- Have they fallen out with friends at school or got into trouble?
School can be a huge challenge for many children. Some are labelled ‘lazy’ when in fact they might be struggling with a learning problem.
And if a report has come home saying they’ve not reached the ‘expected’ achievement level or grade, a child’s confidence can take quite a beating.
How can you make things better?
Two techniques to help motivate your child
Be realistic:
Not every child is a top grade student. While you want your child to achieve and be the best they can be academically, it’s important to accept that your child might be more average at this point in time.
If so, praise them like mad for every little thing they achieve. This way, you can help them build their skills up over time.
Choose words carefully:
Children are deeply affected by words they hear. That’s why it matters to use positive language as much as possible:
- You worked so hard on that
- Well done; you stayed so calm
- One more go, and you’ll get it next time
- I’m so proud of you
It’s OK to ask for help
We’ll come back to this topic again as we know how much it affects children. So many parents spanning Manchester and Cheshire approach our tuition team for support for this very thing.
If you need to talk to a professional tutor as you’re worried about your child – whether they are in junior, secondary or 6th form – you only have to get in touch.