How do you motivate children?

Answer 1

Children are usually motivated by external means - it's not until they mature that they begin to motivate themselves and seek to feel good inside instead of getting some sort of reward. Scientific study has shown that positive reward is the best method of changing bad habits into good ones, so instead of punishment for poor work, try rewards for good work. (If it's a chore, however, they do need to complete it, whether they earn a reward or not)

Here are some good ways to reward your kids when they do what they need to do:

• extra play time - for every X minutes of study or work, they get X minutes of whatever sort of play they enjoy
• tokens - for every X minutes of study or work, or for every completed assignment, they receive X tokens, which may then be turned in for some other sort of reward, such as an item they really want you to buy for them
• family outings - if they complete X assignment or job properly, you'll plan a special family time event

You can think of lots of good rewards that don't include money or candy or other unhealthy rewards!

Answer 2

This is a difficult question, because motivation should be internally directed versus externally created. What this means is, any worker should want to work and do good work because it gives personal meaning and satisfaction. If that internal factor is missing, no matter how much someone tries to motivate someone else, the person needing the motivation will not improve his/her job skills. It is like a teacher who assigns homework. The teacher can impose penalties if homework isn't done, or give rewards to students who do the work, but until a student discovers the wonder of learning and feels pride in being a learner, no reward or punishment will change the student's attitude toward learning.

All work, jobs, and occupations require a worker to realize that he or she remains a "learner" throughout life. Without that internal belief, people just show up to work to do the bare requirements that earn a paycheck.