How to Motivate Your Children

Children are the future… but it appears they are carrying a lot of stress. Research has found that over a third of children and teenagers feel stress and anxiety on a regular basis, which can be very demotivating. Thankfully there are lots of things you can do to help motivate them. This will make them feel happier and more productive and enable them to have the mindset they need to be as successful as they can. Here are five tips to help you motivate and encourage your children.

Set a Great Example

Children look to their parents to guide them, so start by setting an example for them at home. Show them that you are a hard-working, positive person who makes their dreams a reality. For instance, you could open up about the challenges you have overcome in your career, or you could take them to work with you to help out.

Encourage Them to Do Something They Love

It can also be useful to encourage your children to do the things they love (such as playing the guitar, or taking pictures). Work doesn’t really feel like work if it is enjoyable, so help your child to find their interest and then encourage them to pursue it. For instance, if they like the outdoors you could encourage them to take part in more school incursions. This will help them feel understood and supported (which is important, as many teenagers today feel misunderstood), so they are more likely to have a positive association with chasing their passion.

Help Them Set Goals

Encourage your child to set goals and targets from a young age. Children benefit from having a purpose or a goal as it gives them something to focus on, which can prevent feelings of boredom and isolation (while also helping to build self-confidence and motivation).

So help your children to set goals, and make sure they set ones that they actually want to achieve — as well as others that you want them to achieve (such as tidying their room). This means they are more likely to associate goals with personal happiness and growth.

Teach Them to Have Their Own Definition of Success

Everyone has a different idea of success; some people want to raise a beautiful family, some people want to make the world a better place and some want a prestigious career. So encourage your child to define what success means to them, and then support them on their journey to being successful. It can be tempting to push your own idea of success onto your child instead, but this can cause the child to feel misunderstood and frustrated, so try to embrace their idea of success as well as your own.

Give Them Space to Grow

Finally, give your children the space to grow. We all have different paths and journeys, so once you have laid the groundwork to help them you should step back and support them from the side lines. Of course, you should still support them, nurture them and encourage them, but you must give them the chance to succeed on their own.