Introduction
We’ve all been there as parents, pulling our hair out trying to convince our child to start studying more. You’ve tried everything from bribes to threats, but nothing seems to be working. Your child simply won’t concentrate on their work, and when they do, it’s always with some sort of lacklustre effort, as if it’s a chore.
If this is you, then you are in the right place. In this video, we will discuss why your child finds studying boring and what strategies you can implement as parents to get your child working harder than ever.
So, let’s get into it!
But before we dive into how we can help our child, let’s take a look at why children find studying boring from a child’s perspective.
Enter Billy
Billy is a 14-year-old with tons of energy. He is a smart lad who, when he applies himself, finds it easy to understand complex topics and actually enjoys going to school. But he hates doing homework. He often rushes it, puts no effort into it, and only does it to get his mom off his back.
He finds it boring – too easy – and is constantly questioning how the Pythagorean theorem is going to help him in the future.
Does Billy sound familiar? That’s because it’s the same for a huge number of children. So much so that a meta-study in 2018 found that 80% of children found studying boring and monotonous. A pretty high number, right?
So, how exactly can we as parents make studying more entertaining and engaging for our teenagers?
1. Motivation
It all starts with motivation. First, we need to understand what drives our child? Do they want to be a famous actor, play sport, or do they want to be a scientist? We need to develop a real, deep understanding of what gets our child going in the morning and what’s going on in their head.
Once we understand this, it brings us to the next point. As parents, we need to find out how to get the point across to our child that hard work will only help them achieve their goals. Our focus should be on how we can make studying create a bridge between where they are now and where it is they want to go.
This is probably the most important factor when getting your child to study more. If you as a parent can master this, 90% of the battle is won.
However, parents, the real trick here is not to put emphasis on the act of studying, but instead on their goals. Talk to them about what they want to achieve, understand it, and show them how hard work will only help them.
Once you are able to do this effectively, you will have tapped into your child’s internal drivers and instantly have them more motivated to study because they can finally see the real-time benefit studying will have on what they actually want to achieve.
Once we have nailed this, we can move on to part 2.
2. Make it Interesting
Studying by nature is a monotonous task. It involves us repeating the same thing over and over until we finally understand it. Making it obvious why children, who already have lowered attention spans, find it boring.
So, what’s the solution? Simple! Make it interesting and diverse.
Personalize your child’s routine and studying routine to their preferences and goals. Does your child like acting? Set them an essay on how Tom Cruise has affected the acting landscape. It’s simple: the more your child finds interest in the work, the more likely they are to put their effort into it!
Now that we have found out how to motivate your child and how to actually get them interested in doing their work, that leads us to the final step! Challenging and rewarding!
If something is too easy and there is no sense of accomplishment, then your child will start to perceive it as a chore instead of a developmental exercise. And who wants to do chores? Make sure the work you set pushes your child outside their comfort zone and is challenging. This way, when they do finally complete it, they will find a sense of achievement.
But be careful, there is a fine line between achievement and relief. The last thing you want is your child not looking forward to doing their work because it is too challenging.
What we advise here is to make sure that the work pushes your child but does not mentally fatigue them. And if it does, simply give them a break or lower the levels of difficulty.
Conclusion
No one knows your child better than you. The real trick to getting someone to do something is to link the action with their long-term goals. That way, you will not only get them to work harder but also help them see the benefit it offers. Oh, and did I forget? Make sure the learning is personalized.