It’s been over a week since Term 2 started. Is your child still trying to ignore their wake-up alarms going off and get up for school?
Having the motivation to get up and want to go to school plays a positive and significant role in your child’s academic success, as evidenced by a 2022 study in the Journal of Positive School Psychology. But at this point in the school year, we found that a lot of students start to lose their steam and struggle to sustain their momentum.
We often hear parents ask how they can help unmotivated teens ‘feel’ more motivated for school as if it’s an emotion they can easily switch on when it’s off.
And that’s fine — if you want your child to be at the whim of their emotions.
But if you’re a parent who wants your child to have sustained motivation that will last until the end of the term, then you know your child needs to actually be motivated. They should be driven regardless of what stage of the term they’re in and not just rely on their ever-changing feelings at the expense of their academic performance.
In this article, we focus on practical tips from one of our expert colleagues to help your child build sustainable motivation to become self-driven this term.
Transforming Unmotivated Teens into Self-Driven Students
We partnered with Rachel Stewart, founder of Practically Learning and a colleague of Kalibrate-Ed, and explored six strategies parents can use to help unmotivated teens build sustained motivation and directly combat their disinterest in school.
#1. Habit hacks for dopamine.
Dopamine is one of the ‘happy hormones’ released in the brain that make you feel good. It’s responsible for your pleasure and reward system, which drives your interest and motivation.
That’s a scientific fact. So reinforcing your child’s dopamine levels by building on their sense of satisfaction can increase their motivation to develop new habits — which is also known as habit hacking.
Let’s say they like eating a snack after school. You can attach a study habit to that existing habit by asking them to complete a few minutes of homework after.
By doing this consistently, they can build a positive association between learning and getting a snack and boost their motivation to study by themselves.
#2. Focus on what they value.
Ask yourself, ‘What does my child value the most?’
Stewart suggests that understanding what your child values the most is a key strategy to help them build motivation for school. For example, if a child values independence, parents can frame accomplishing assignments on their specified time as their child’s means to have control over their day.
By helping your child see how studying aligns with what’s important to them, you can inspire more motivation for their school-related tasks.
#3. Nudge them to take the first step.
Most of the time, teenagers just can’t take the first step. That’s understandable because getting started is almost always the hardest thing to do.
As parents (and often frustrated bystanders), it’s not unusual to feel the urge to do it for them. But instead, try nudging them to get started themselves. Help them ‘chunk’ their tasks and begin with the easiest work.
When your child starts checking things off their task list, these can give them more inner satisfaction. This will also helps reduce that overwhelming feeling that blocks your child from getting work done and drags their motivation levels down.
#4. Celebrate, not criticise.
What if your child gets bogged down by their academic results and loses their focus?
It’s important to encourage them rather than criticise their efforts. Otherwise, their self-confidence will dwindle down and drain their motivation for school even further until there’s nothing left.
Provide positive affirmations and acknowledge their efforts. Also make sure to celebrate their wins, big or small. By providing this kind of support to your child, you can help bolster their self-esteem and boost their motivation to improve their school results.
#5. Scene change!
According to Stewart, sometimes, a change in environment makes the difference.
If your child always tries to accomplish their homework in a common area in the house and can’t get anything done, provide them with a dedicated space where they can focus on their work. Help them remove all possible distractions and make sure they have all their materials and resources accessible to them.
But what if your child struggles with studying alone in their room? You can give them an alternate space at home or set ground rules for organising and decluttering their space so they can study more efficiently and at ease.
#6. Build a Guiding Coalition.
Finally, Stewart recommends building a supportive learning environment for your child where they feel safe to explore and learn. At Kalibrate-Ed, we call this a Guiding Coalition.
It doesn’t stop with the physical space. Having the right people and support around your unmotivated teen can enhance their motivation levels and get them fired up to study, without needing someone to remind them. If you want to know more about it, here’s our free resource on how to build a support network for your child.
Another Level of Support for Unmotivated Teens
At Kalibrate-Ed, helping students cultivate sustained motivation is an integral part of unlocking any child’s academic success. We believe that being able to control and master motivation levels is not just something your child benefits from in school.
It’s also a critical part of their lifelong learning and future success. Just imagine what kind of career or future your child would have without being able to find self-drive to pursue aspirations and go through tough times.
If your child isn’t the most motivated and needs help taking ownership over their own studies, check out this free tool we created for parents of Year 7-12 students who are struggling with their motivation, focus, or concentration.
