Between after school activities, video games, cell phones, and computers, convincing your kids to take care of their household chores and other responsibilities can be a real challenge.

The truth is, not every method of motivation will work with your child. Also, what works for one child may be detrimental to another!

As parents, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be a friend to your child, but your goal is to be their leader, teacher, and motivator, too!

Here are a few things you can try to help motivate your kids to get things done:

1.    Kids love praise. Your kids want your attention and praise. If they know that doing the things they’re supposed to do will bring them praise, they’re more likely to do those things. You’re their parent and they want to make you proud of them.

•    By encouraging them and praising them frequently, you’re reinforcing good behavior.

2.    Offer rewards. Often, children are motivated by rewards. The rewards don’t have to be large or involve money. You can reward your children by:

•     Spending time with them doing an activity they enjoy

•     Reading to them

•     Playing games with them

•     Curling up and watching a movie together

All of these rewards are positive motivators for your children. They’ll be much more eager to do their household chores if the reward is something they can look forward to.

3.    Lead by example. If your kids see you doing nothing all day long, they’ll feel as if it’s okay for them to do the same thing. Remember that your children are like a sponge and they look up to you and want to emulate you.

• Show your kids that regular tasks can be rewarding. For example, seeing a bunch of separate ingredients transform into cookies that get compliments can give your child a confidence boost to help out again next time!

4.    Fear of consequences. There’s a big difference between consequences and punishment. When your children don’t do the things they’re supposed to do, you can teach them how their actions or inactions can have a negative impact on their lives and the lives of others.

• Take something away for a short period and explain why you’re doing it and how they can earn it back. This example of natural and logical consequences is essential preparation for adult life.

5.    Show love. Your children need and want your love and devotion. Get involved in their lives. If your child is really interested in something, do it with them!

• Showing children you appreciate them and respect their choices will build a deeper bond between you. When you ask them to get something done, they’ll be more likely to do it because of the mutual respect between you.

Motivating your children isn’t always easy. It takes dedication and consistency to provide the example and direction needed to build a child’s character.

While it may seem easier to throw in the towel and do things yourself, standing steadfast and finding new ways to motivate your kids is much more likely to help him become a productive, responsible adult.

As a parent, it’s your job to mold your children into caring, responsible and respectful adults. Remember, children are people too and are motivated by the same things that motivate anyone else.

Things like love, attention, pleasure, rewards and recognition top the list of things children crave in their lives. Heaping these essential motivators onto your children will provide great rewards throughout their lives.

How To Help Children

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Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Most parents and children experience the stress of homework.  

It can be a  challenge ensuring that your child completes homework on a regular basis.

Although some kids are very self motivated and for them, the stress of homework may never be a problem, there are many children who require at least some encouragement to complete their homework to a reasonable standard.

It’s important to motivate your child to adjust to regular study habits and a homework routine This will certainly assist them in avoiding the stress of homework and in developing the skills needed to cope with the more demanding workloads they will face in high school along with any further education they may choose to undertake.

Firstly, there are several benefits of doing homework:

• Improved achievement at school
• Learning independent work habits, time management and organisational skills
• Enhanced personal growth achieved by learning to be responsible
• A feeling of pride and accomplishment
• Improved self esteem and self confidence
• A positive connection with parents and family members who offer praise and support

Ways to Motivate Your Child and Avoid the Stress of Homework

To help your child avoid the stress of homework and benefit from all the positive aspects, the following strategies and techniques can be used as motivation to assist your child in completing homework successfully:

1. Provide your child with a suitable work area

It should be quiet, well lit and have adequate space.

2. Limit distractions and background noise

Turn off the TV or radio (some quiet background music may suit some children –see our article on learning styles)

3. Plan a weekly schedule

Take into account after school commitments as well as social activities, appointments etc that may arise. (Help your child to plan in advance each week and organise homework tasks so that time is allowed to complete them. This will really assist in avoiding the stress of homework).

4. Be a supportive and encouraging parent and avoid the stress of homework

So that the stress of homework doesn’t become an issue, use a positive approach. Avoid criticism and be understanding of problems that may arise. Help by offering suitable solutions.

5. Praise all efforts and independence

Frequent praise is a must – offer it immediately, with lots of emphasis and offer it often! Praise your child for effort and for displaying independence regardless of whether a mistake has been made. This is a huge motivator for children and will result in improved self esteem, self confidence and a willingness to keep trying when faced with challenges. (Rather than focusing on the stress of homework, focus on the positive outcomes achieved).

6. Take the time to monitor homework

Ensure that your child understands the task and what is expected.

7. Give feedback on completed work

Praise neatness. If mistakes are evident, point these out and ask your child to attempt to correct them.

8. Communicate with the teacher

Be sure to address any problems your child may be having so that help can be given and the stress of homework doesn’t take over.

9. Use positive reinforcement

Free time, fun outings or small rewards may be offered as a further incentive to motivate your child to approach homework with a positive attitude rather than focusing on the stress of homework.

 Remember that stress isn’t conductive to learning. Keep the atmosphere positive and supportive and homework time will be less stressful.

How To Help Children

http://howtohelpchildren.com

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Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also check out our site at http://howtohelpchildren.com for over 300 videos showing you how to really help your child (babies to the end of Primary School).

How To Help Children

===================================
Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Watch this video so you understand how to help your child.

Click here to view the embedded video.

How to Help Children

http://howtohelpchildren.com

===================================
Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

P.s. Rewards for effort (or bribery) really helps!

How To Help Children

http://howtohelpchildren.com

===================================
Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

How To Help Children

http://howtohelpchildren.com

===================================
Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

Have a look at our site How To Help Children…you’ll find several videos on number facts strategies and practice.

How To Help Children

http://howtohelpchildren.com

===================================
Get the Latest Help with Homework for Kids at
http://www.helpwithhomeworkforkids.com/

Introduce different smells to your baby from a young age and talk about them.

You can also introduce a variety of temperatures, e.g. ice-cubes, warm bath, cold water.

When your baby starts to eat solids (normally around the sixth month) introduce a variety of foods. Experiences like these stimulate your baby’s brain. They encourage them to use their senses to learn about the world and improve their memory, curiosity and nervous system development.

Probably the worst thing you could do is put your baby/toddler in a play-pen to keep them safe. You’re restricting their ability to explore, play and learn. Make your home baby safe and use every chance you get to stimulate your child.

When they start talking, talk back to them. Explain things to them. At the age of 10 months my daughter started asking, “What’s that?” She would ask this question hundreds of times a day. Sometimes it was the same thing over and over again.

Be patient and answer all their questions. How else are they going to learn? I can remember discussing this with a very well educated friend. He told me that his son almost drove him insane asking questions when he was 18 months old. My friend eventually banned the word “why”. After discussing how children learn, he felt ashamed by his impatience. He didn’t realize that his son was just trying to learn about his world.

Another great way to stimulate your child’s brain growth is through music. Children learn music much easier than adults. Play music to them (classical, jazz and easy to listen to music), sing with them, clap out the beat and rhythm of songs and buy them some toy musical instruments or pull out the pots and pans and a spoon (you might need some ear-plugs). It’s believed that learning a musical instrument can help your child’s brain to better process mathematics.

Early reading has very little to do with intelligence and more to do with the home environment and opportunities presented by the parents. Children with low IQs can be taught to read. If you remove the burden of having to learn to read when they start school, they can use this skill to learn more about their world.

Visit our site for more great information and parenting tips:

 http://howtohelpchildren.com

How To Help Children

Spend as much time as you can playing, talking, cuddling and singing to your baby. If you’re able to speak a second language, talk to your baby in this language. If you want them to learn a second language and you don’t speak it, play CDs and your child will take in the sounds of this language subconsciously. When they get older they’ll be able to hear and pronounce the sounds of the second language much easier.

When you read books to your toddler, let them watch the text as you read and point to the words while you go along.

Young babies’ eyes are not developed enough to see a variety of colors. However, they can see black and white quite easily. Use these contrasting colors to stimulate their eyes and assist with their brain development. You could use black and white checked material, graphics, pictures or mobiles to stimulate your child. Nurseries are often painted in soft pastels, so adding some contrasting black and white objects to the room will stimulate them.

Physical movement is vital for a child’s brain development. Crawling helps the child’s vision to develop. Regularly put your baby on their stomach (fully supervised) and encourage them to crawl. Rocking and swinging your child helps them to develop their balance.

Massage is a great way to stimulate their tactile awareness. Introduce materials that have different textures, e.g. smooth, furry, rough and hard surfaces.

Visit our site for more great advice:    http://howtohelpchildren.com

How To Help Children

How boys cope with the education system is an issue we’ve been reminded of as we’ve watched our own children grow up.

We’ve always considered ourselves very lucky to have “one of each” (a son and a daughter) and the impact of ‘boys and education’ has become obvious throughout their schooling.

During their younger years, we certainly experienced all the ups and downs of having a very active and at times, demanding son along with a much quieter, easier to manage daughter. We quickly learned how different boys could be compared to girls and also learned to cater for the different energy levels of both our children. It’s this experience that has made us aware of the importance of the ‘boys and education’ facts.

As the years progressed, it was obvious to us that although of similar academic ability, the levels of concentration, the ability to sit still for long periods as well as the willingness to become involved in family discussions or sharing sessions about one’s day varied dramatically between our son and our daughter. And even now as young adults, this is still the case. It’s also interesting to note the fact that our daughter has always brought home a better academic report card than our son.

Statistics show that boys rank behind girls by nearly every measure of scholastic achievement and the gap is continuing to increase. Some tend to blame the onset of computer games and the all too popular Xbox and play station, where such mundane tasks as reading a book is often found to be much less stimulating in comparison.

Regardless of this, technology is a fact of life and it’s our responsibility to assist our children in learning to deal with the problems they face as well as all the distractions that are available to them. As their parents, there are ways that we can assist our sons to really reach their full potential and not be one of the statistics.

The following is a list of suggestions, many of which we’ve used with our own son, to encourage success and are proud to say that we’ve certainly had very positive results:

1. Be a good role model. Children copy what they see, so lead by example.

2. Develop a good relationship. It’s extremely important for children to feel loved and secure. A good relationship with not only their parents but with their teacher as well is very important in the success of a boy’s education.

3. Spend time with your child. If your child is receiving the attention they need at home, they will be much less likely to be naughty, attention seeking children at school. This is very important when related to their academic success.

4. Ensure your child eats a healthy breakfast every day and has nutritious foods in their lunch box. Either pack your child’s lunch or monitor their choices if they pack their own. One of the main reasons for poor levels of concentration at school is the huge intake of sugar, colors, flavorings and preservatives that many children consume on a regular basis. In regard to boys’ learning levels, many need all the help they can get to be able to concentrate well in class and the foods they eat play a big part.

5. Allow your child to run and be boisterous. It is essential they’re given a chance to burn off excess energy, which increases the ability to concentrate and promotes good sleeping habits. When it comes to boys and education, this is a definite necessity. While all children require regular exercise for general health and well-being, active kids and in particular boys, certainly benefit from regular exercise. The impact of regular exercise on a boy’s level of learning is quite substantial.

6. Adopt sensible bedtimes. This is especially important during the school week.

7. Monitor your child’s “gaming” time. Allow restricted amounts of time for computer games, Xbox, play station etc. This is an issue that can become an obsession with many children and in the study of boys and education, excessive computer time is a problem that needs to be addressed.

8. Create challenges. Don’t wrap your child in cotton wool – give them responsibilities and encourage them to step outside their comfort zone. This will increase their self-confidence and self-esteem which will also lead to more academic success at school as well as impact on their ability to interact successfully with their peers.

9. Encourage their competitive spirit. Do you think you can beat me?  I bet you can improve on your last result! All kids love competition and this makes learning so much more fun. This is a great strategy to use when considering the issue of boys and education and improving their learning and their results at school.

10. Think about the way you communicate with your son. Don’t waffle on or nag, as boys tend to switch off. Just give simple and clear step-by-step instructions. Allow your son to express their emotions (forget about the “boys don’t cry” rubbish.)  Be positive and show your pride in their achievements. Also don’t forget to praise them when they try to do the right thing.

All of these strategies when used consistently can have a very positive impact on boys. If these strategies are implemented it will certainly help to boost their confidence, self-esteem and improve their learning capacity immensely.

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How To Help Children