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The cherished desire of parents is that their children, not being afraid of difficulties, study with enthusiasm! Experts are encouraging: there are effective strategies that allow us to motivate our child to study.
Does your child despair when faced with the first difficulty, inattentive, not trying? Teachers and psychologists confirm that today’s children are losing interest in learning earlier. Parents are in a panic. According to polls by the Levada Center, 49% of Russians call schoolchildren’s lack of interest in learning the most serious problem in the education system. At the same time, 28% of us would like to instill in our children the desire for knowledge, and 59% are sure that good schooling is necessary for a successful future career.
The parents themselves may have studied in the Soviet school and were more disciplined students, but they hardly wanted to learn more than their children. It was just easier to manage them: “It must be so.”
What has changed today? The rigid discipline was gone and the lack of interest in learning became more evident. In addition, the rhythm of life has accelerated. To involve the student in the learning process, more individual, practical tasks related to everyday life are needed.
Every child has a developmental need. All children are inquisitive, but we, adults, rather do not encourage their curiosity, as well as independence. And interest in learning is directly related to how much the student feels responsible for himself.
“The influence of parents is indirect, we cannot force the child to be interested,” insists psychologist Tamara Gordeeva, author of the book “Psychology of Achievement Motivation,” but it is we who can “start” intellectual activity, offering him something that captivates us ourselves.
Most schools do not set themselves the task of making it interesting for children to study
The situation is complicated by the influence of modern culture: today it is assumed that pleasure, success should follow instantly. It turns out that parents give children a contradictory attitude — they encourage the immediate satisfaction of any desires, but require perseverance. “Only by directing the interest of the child, taking into account his individual characteristics, you can change the situation,” Tamara Gordeeva is sure.
“Only high school students can be motivated by the future result, the opportunity to enter a university, to get a good job,” says family psychologist Lyudmila Petranovskaya. “To captivate those who have just come to school is possible only by the very process of learning.” But most schools, alas, do not set themselves the task of making it interesting for children to learn. This means that we, parents, have to develop a taste for participation in the school life of the child.
“Becoming a tutor in all subjects is not a way out,” says child psychologist Elena Morozova. “After all, no one can remain impartial in relation to their own child: emotions and reasons from the unconscious interfere with maintaining equanimity.”
Tasks for parents
We asked experts to talk about universal recommendations that everyone can use, adjusting them to suit their nature and family traditions. Every age has its own priorities. Therefore, we have identified three main stages.
Elementary School: Safety and Curiosity
Children come to the first grade with the expectation of new, interesting events. But it is the first years of study that some of us later remember as the most boring. What can parents do to keep their child interested in learning? Answers in Elementary School: Safety and Curiosity
Secondary school: autonomy and encouragement
Rapid growth and hormonal storms change the way you perceive yourself and your relationships with others. This revolution in the life of a teenager is also reflected in their studies. And the passion for modern technologies, new forms of communication and leisure becomes another cause of conflicts with parents. For ways to communicate with your teen to keep learning interesting, see Middle School: Self-reliance and encouragement
Senior classes: flexibility and endurance
The life of a high school student is marked by the need to choose a university and pass the exam. On the threshold of the future, the support of his parents is invaluable for him. To help your child recognize their strengths, understand their desires and prioritize, read the article High School: Flexibility and Resilience