In motivating kids to excel in his or her academic life, we can face quite a challenge. Without motivation, our kids will rarely reach their potential, and this can lead to a lack of confidence when interacting in their world.

For the last 20-25 years, we have seen a decline in the desire to learn. Much of this is because we would rather watch tv, play our video games, and generally be absorbed in technology. To a large extent, we have a lack of engagement in physical activities as well as academic activities.

One of the most critical elements in the learning process is to read and write in all of the subject areas. The development of motivation to learn and better student involvement is directly linked to their ability to read and write, as well as engage in independent pleasure reading. We all know how much reading is required in science, math, social studies, health, art, and even music. You can see we need to encourage our students to read a variety of texts and engage in a variety of activities.

A student's motivation to learn and interest in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies can remain low if the classroom is not a positive learning environment. Having a place that is safe, kid friendly, and full of enrichment is very important. Do you have a place just for studying? Is your home set up for kids or company? (It can be for both!) See how we have set up our classroom. our homeschool room

Do you know HOW the brain actually goes through the process of learning? This can help you when setting up your classroom, your curriculum and just engaging with your student in general. Take a moment to look at a brain diagram and the different brain functions.

Understanding how our children learn best is also important when it comes to motivating them. Do they need good organization and a schedule? or do they like more hands on, actual experiences to broaden their horizons? Finding out what their learning style is can give us one more tool to enhancing their educational experience and thus motivating them. It can often explain why motivating kids is often a challenge.

Our goal as homeschooling parents is to give our children the gift of the joy of learning. We know that as long as they have that thrill of learning something new, motivating kids is no problem!