Generally we tend to tell our children that they must study because it is their obligation, contenting ourselves with receiving as a reward the satisfaction of having obtained a good grade on the exam. However, it is also our obligation to work and for this we receive a salary with which, in addition to paying the bills, we can buy things that we want or do leisure activities.
In the same way that we adults when we do work, children also want to obtain a reward that rewards all the effort they have made to fulfill their responsibilities. Therefore, the first step to create study habits in your child is to negotiate with him what his interests and motivations are, in order to use it as a reward based on goals that will be established later.
These goals should be progressive, and will include daily, weekly, monthly stages and a big end goal. In the case of students, this final objective is usually approved all of them, although if the child already has a certain academic ability we can raise the bar by focusing the final objective on the acquisition of a new language or computer skills.
Regarding the choice of prizes, everything must be proportional to the effort required for the child to achieve each of the objectives. If the sacrifice and responsibility are very great, the prize must be attractive and interesting enough so that throughout the year it compensates the effort.
Of course, it is important to remember that not everything in life is money and material rewards. It is often more comforting for a child when his father spends time with him, listens to him, and devotes his attention to him bringing him a gift after work and not seeing each other again until dinner time. For this reason, the daily prizes can consist of a few hours of playing together in the park or, if the temperature does not allow it, organizing a session of board games or movies for the whole family at home.
Finally, to create study habits in your child you must be constant and tenacious. Children spend most of the day wanting to play, so you shouldn’t get frustrated if you see that within five minutes of sitting down to do homework, they are already distracted and thinking about something else. Instead of scolding him, take advantage of the child’s interest in the world around him and offer it as a reward or connect him with what he is studying to promote a taste for studies.
And finally, remember that if the child keeps his word, you must also keep yours. It is completely forbidden to offer a prize that later will not be able to be fulfilled, since if this happens the child will understand that his effort has no reward and that it is not worth fighting for what he wants.
Source: http://www.nosotras.com
