By Hannah Boutkan, LSW
Advice from Youth First
Children are born with an innate motivation to learn about their environment and grow. However, as kids get older, environmental, social, mental and emotional factors can suppress motivation, especially in school. There are many ways to increase and spark motivation in youth when they are struggling to follow through on day-to-day responsibilities. Havard Center on the Developing Child provides great examples to utilize, and it all starts from the beginning in infancy.
In the beginning years of a child’s life, a great way to build connection and encourage curiosity and motivation is to follow the child’s lead. Take an interest in their interests and utilize those to encourage exploration. Children will feel supported in their play and explorations of their environment and be encouraged to continue being curious about their environment and the objects in it. This strategy can go along with the other helpful tip, encourage unstructured play. Unstructured play allows children to grow their imagination, creativity and other skills that enhance problem-solving and social skills. Later on, when children have these skills, it is more likely that they can stay motivated to accomplish more challenging or less interesting tasks.
When a child is given a task, it is important that it be appropriate for the level they are at, with whatever the subject matter may be. Think of Goldilocks. It can’t be too hard, but it also can’t be too easy. If a child feels that the task is impossible, they will struggle to find the motivation to complete it. If the task is too easy, it lacks enough stimulation, and the child won’t feel that the task is important or worth their time. A task that creates just enough stimulation allows the child to view it as an achievable challenge, and the child can maintain motivation to complete it.
This idea applies to goal setting as well. Goals are an important part in staying motivated because they provide purpose for the daily tasks, whether in school or out of school, that a child is responsible for. In social work, we always talk about SMART goals. This idea means goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. These parameters around goal setting ensure that the goals being set are purposeful and clear. Another important aspect of setting goals to increase motivation is setting a goal relevant to the child. It needs to be something they want to do and can do at the present moment; otherwise, we are setting them up to fail.
As a child is completing tasks, reaching goals and taking care of responsibilities, the Harvard Center on the Developing Child stresses the importance of praising the process rather than the outcome. Praise all the little things a child does along the way that is setting them up for success. Praising the process ensures that the child still feels supported and successful even if they don’t reach their goal the first try or they mess up a couple times along the way. Providing praise and support for the little things helps a child maintain motivation to continue. Most importantly, it helps the child feel motivated to keep trying even if they mess up or when something is hard.
While adults cannot make a child do something, we can encourage and spark motivation to do well and be successful in and out of the classroom. By taking an interest and encouraging play as babies and providing appropriate tasks and utilizing goal setting as youth and adolescents, parents and teachers can cultivate a supportive and motivating environment that fosters success and hope for the future.
Hannah Boutkan, LSW, serves as Youth First School Social Worker at Holy Rosary Catholic School in Evansville.