Whether your child attends a traditional school or an online school like CambriLearn, their motivation and optimism levels can have major impacts on their academic success.
Many parents may struggle to understand why students lose motivation. Forcing kids to study when they don’t want to can create a negative association with learning and this can damage the child’s perception of learning throughout their schooling career.
It is important for parents and educators to create a learning environment that harnesses a child’s love for learning from an early age.
In this article, we will explore how to motivate students and increase optimism levels through fun and engaging educational activities.
How to motivate students and increase optimism levels
- Project Based Learning is all about child-directed education and encouraging natural curiosity. It is based on the theory that children have the skills to find answers for themselves, we just need to guide and nudge them along the way. Project-Based Learning activities teach a range of different subjects in one project theme. Instead of teaching isolated subjects in separate lessons, project-based learning encourages a more natural and holistic way of learning.
- Entrepreneurship requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills, whilst also teaching a child how to develop a business plan, draw up a budget and manage money. Homeschooled children have the perfect atmosphere for building entrepreneurial skills because they are not inhibited by a fixed schedule and they have the flexibility to study and work on their businesses as part of their lessons. Ideas for entrepreneurial activities for kids could involve; lawn mowing, weeding, car washing, pet sitting, babysitting or baking.
- Coding, robotics and digital skills are increasingly important for many future careers. Enrolling in a course like Robotics can help a child understand difficult math and science-related concepts. Coding takes a different approach to teach children STEM-related concepts that would otherwise be difficult for them to understand. Not only do these courses teach children technological foundations and principles, but they also teach children important problem-solving skills in a more meaningful and interactive way. Robotics is FUN and therefore assists in promoting an environment where children want to learn. This helps develop a child’s motivation and optimism.
- Field trips to local museums, botanical gardens, landscapes or historical landmarks are another great way to motivate a child. If your child is learning about the ocean then take them to the beach or if they are learning about animals then take them on a trip to your local zoo. Make learning an adventure by encouraging hands-on learning and exploration. By encouraging a child to engage in activity-based learning they can use all their senses and intuitions. This will have positive benefits on their motivation and optimism levels.
- Starting a fitness program has great positive physical and mental benefits for a child. Research has shown that children who do physical activities are more productive, are able to better manage their time, and are more motivated in their studies. Encouraging a child to exercise and teaching them the importance of adopting an exercise routine will help them create lifelong healthy habits that will serve them into adult life.
- Volunteering is a great way to promote happy endorphins which lead to improved optimism. Many animal rescue associations, community feeding schemes and other charitable organisations are often in need of helping hands. These activities can also help kids engage in physical exercise during activities like a beach clean-up, or they can help promote entrepreneurship through fund-raising drives. Let your child engage in the gift of giving and see for yourself how their motivation and optimism levels improve.
- Social Emotional Learning can have invaluable effects on a child’s motivation. By helping a child understand and navigate their feelings and emotions they will be able to better understand potential negative triggers and find ways to cope with and process their emotions. Social-emotional skills relate directly to academic performance and emotional health. CambriLearn’s Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) course teaches children to understand and appreciate differences and develop their own character for better self-awareness.
Children learn better when they want to learn, when they have an active interest in the lesson and when the teaching methods are personalised to their unique learning needs. The first step in achieving academic success is to understand your child’s preferred style of learning. By adapting the lessons to their preferred learning style you will help instil a love for learning and ensure that they are self-motivated and optimistic in their studies.
