We have all experienced that pull your hair out moment when you realise your child has not studied and that the time spent telling you they were studying was actually spent on snapchat or gaming. With so much temptation what is a parent to do?
The only thing to do is to get involved, engage with them and make it real and if possible, fun.
I have developed the Praise and engage technique!
First of all, not many children are overly interested in Shakespeare or pages of math formulas.
But what if English can be a story you write about real people or a passion your child has. For example, if he loves cars then write the story about cars. Spelling grammar and punctuation still count. Or if your daughter loves dancing then a ballerina plot. I wrote keywords that must be included for my child who hated reading. She loved incorporating her friend’s names and favourite things into her story. I then got her to read it to me and at a family gathering. I got her to engage and then wow did she receive praise! The joy she got from all the praise was fulfilling and motivated her. She now writes her stories for fun!
Maths for some kids can be a real bore! I tied to engage with my kids and relate maths to their real money or saving for something they value then look kids become enticed.
I got my son who is go-kart obsessed, to save towards go-kart activities by adding up what he had in pocket money and what he had earnt from his part time job.
We set up a spreadsheet and set up a goal so he could relate his maths homework to his real-life passion. Once this link was made, he now readily
applies his homework to real life. He loved studying interest rates and we applied it to buying things in his future. Now he engages with maths and as for the praise part, well nothing beats a weekend go-karting with all of his mates and his dad’s grin when he wins a trophy!
I have applied my praise and engage techniques to science and art and many other subjects, but I will save that for another blog. I do hope my technique offers your child and you a way to prove that learning is fun!
I really encourage you to try it, adapt it to suit your family. I too have had the feeling of pulling my hair and seething in frustration and wondering what to do. I hope this resonates with you and you give it a go!
