Tips to Boost Motivation for Home-Educated Children

So, you’ve decided to homeschool your children. You want more in the way of education, to offer an education based on what they like and want, or you just think that home is where they can be happy.

After a couple of months, however, you start to notice that your child’s enthusiasm has fallen behind. They’re not as excited anymore and you’re always squeezing them into school. Does that sound like you?

A lot of home educators find it hard to motivate their kids.

Fortunately, you can do a few things to get your homeschooled child back on the right track. In this article, we will look at some actionable ways to motivate and inspire your children to learn at home.

Let’s start!

What Is Home Education?

Home education, sometimes called homeschooling, is when parents like you teach your child at home instead of sending them to a conventional school. Homeschooling is your job as a teacher — planning how your child will learn, arranging for lesson time and providing resources.

Your family probably opted for certain homeschooling teachers after considering carefully what would be best for your child’s particular requirements and educational needs.

Home education can be more personal and proceed at your child’s pace. It might involve individual tutoring, classroom instruction, online learning, or both.

Why Motivation Matters

Motivation is important as a home educator – but it isn’t easy.

You’re not surrounded by the same sort of structure and environment as at school, and kids are likely to lack motivation from time to time. When they get bored, they fail.

But don’t get discouraged! You can be so creative with the way you keep your child motivated and excited about their home-school experience. In the right way, you can instil a lifetime of interest in them.

Homeschool Motivation Tips for Homeschoolers

Set Up A Dedicated Learning Space

With bedrooms, playgrounds, televisions and food just a few feet away, it’s hard for kids to go into a learning mindset. Installing a homeschool room in your home will signal to your kids that it is time for school.

Choose a room where there are not too many distractions that you can put away homeschool supplies. – Set up a table or desk where your kid can be productive. Just let them fill the room with educational posters or schoolwork to give them the area for themselves.

Place their books, binders and other material on order in this learning space. This kind of “it’s school time” setting is beneficial for a child to get in the correct mindset for study.

Develop A Repeatable Habit

Kids grow up when things are predictable. In the old school, things are very basic – you’re at school on particular days between 9am and 3pm.

Trying to replicate this strict schedule as much as possible is extremely helpful for homeschoolers. Schedule school time in each day and follow through on it if you can. And you can even set a start time and end time and ring a bell to signal transition, like in any school.

Put your children in school clothes (not pyjamas) to get them into the right mindset. By creating a routine and rules for homeschooling, the child will feel safe and under control, thus enhancing the motivation to do so.

Put Learning to Work!

One of the best parts about homeschooling is that you don’t need to stick to textbooks and workbooks – you can be creative with your teaching. Be fun and dynamic during your lessons and use activities when possible.

For smaller kids, that might involve playing counting games, matching shapes, making models or performing experiments. If your kids are older, you can add role play, debates, games, crafts or even field trips to interactive museums.

Follow your kid’s passions and turn it into educational fun. Experienced learning doesn’t have the school feeling, it’s more like playing, keeping children involved and driven to try new things.

Test Them At Their Levels

Motivation dips when children are confronted with too easy or difficult schoolwork for their abilities.

If you’re a homeschooling parent, it’s up to you to observe carefully what your child does in each area and modify the lesson plan accordingly. If they’re fed up and beaten down, they’ll just stop. If it is painful, they will quit and give up.

Take placement exams or skill tests and find work they can do that puts some strain on their strength but not overtax them. Change the curriculum every few years to keep them at that perfect state – struggling but not without trying.

You don’t have to stay within the grade level and fit it to your child’s speed and interests. It’s more satisfying for them to see themselves acquire new skills at just the right level.

Celebrate All Accomplishments

Not feeling motivated can result from a lack of confidence. And if children think they don’t have the tools or are unable to achieve, that reflects badly on their motivation.

That’s why it’s important to observe and applaud your child’s accomplishments, big and small. Give them a shout out for a job well done, solving an algebra problem or picking up a new hobby.

Put their best foot forward so they can feel proud. They can explain it to you or teach you what they learned so you have their knowledge. Provide incentives, such as a free meal or movie night to reward milestone successes. You are fostering a growth mindset in them by acknowledging small, positive changes that make a difference. Once you have faith in them, they will start to believe in themselves.

Add Variety To Prevent Burnout

When it’s too regular, boredom sets in quickly and can zap motivation. This is why homeschool variety is important. Change what subjects they are learning on a daily basis. Get the frivolous energy out on frequent pauses.

Add extra-curricular activities and field trips that are enjoyable. You could even have themed days such as Wacky Wednesday where you dress up and learn something new.

If you’re stuck on a subject or they seem particularly exhausted of it, move on to something new and come back to it later. A little twist at each step keeps your child’s brain from getting stale.

Connect With Other Homeschooling Families

If you’re stuck on a subject or they seem particularly exhausted of it, move on to something new and come back to it later It is for this reason that having regular contact with other homeschooled friends is so helpful.

Invite other families in your area for meet-ups, activities and play dates. Join local homeschool groups on Facebook to receive notifications for classes and events. Get together by Zoom if in-person meetings aren’t feasible.

You can even enroll your child in homeschool co-op classes where you study with other people in things that you’re not so sure you can do by yourself. Creating these social bonds reassure and show children they are not on this journey all alone and give them an important morale boost.

Make Sure They Get Movement Breaks

Good food and exercise are as much important as school for motivating and improving your child’s focus.

Make sure to offer healthy snacks and meals, and movement breaks. Their heads need to be charged! Take outdoor play breaks to run, do indoor exercises together, or let them do the active chores.

It’s also possible to replace the sitting topics with physical activities that make them move. Being homeschooled means it isn’t always easy to remember to exercise. But adding physical activity to your child’s day makes a big difference to their mood, attention and motivation levels.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun!

Most importantly, have fun!

So smile, tell jokes, and keep the homeschooling atmosphere upbeat even when facing obstacles. Be passionate about what you teach. Show your children how they can take a career path to academics. Educate them to be curious and seek.

Teach them that with the right encouragement and willpower, they can learn and do anything. And your enthusiasm will be infectious.

Home education can give your child more than an education; it’s a joyful, motivational way to learn that suits your kid. Follow these steps to avoid motivational slumps and empower your child to homeschool well!