(ThySistas.com) Knowledge is a tremendous gift. It’s something that every single human being on the planet wants and needs. If we didn’t have much of it, we wouldn’t be able to function anywhere near as well as we’d like. We’d also like to have all of the brainpower in the world because, with vast amounts, we could be whatever we’d want to be. There’s just one problem when it comes to leaning stuff: it can be a little boring and tedious.
While we’d all like to be the super genius of the group, we all recognize that the information before us doesn’t just fall into our heads. It doesn’t just show up at the forefront of our minds whenever we need it. We have to sit and study. We need to go over things many times – even the dullest bits. Even though we’d like to learn a lot about a particular subject, we can often be put off due to the time it takes just to get through the basics. Our minds are programmed to look for variety, so sitting still and trying to comprehend what a textbook is telling us can be so difficult.
Now, if you think it’s difficult for yourself, a grown-up, do to sit and learn things, think about how difficult it is for a child. Their minds are constantly all over the place as they don’t quite have the comprehension yet. Getting them to learn about particular aspects of life or particular subjects can be challenging. 
As a parent, you probably already know this. You’ve been through it all yourself! Whether it’s getting them to do fundamental things for themselves, or whether it’s helping them out with some school work. Finding motivation for them isn’t the easiest thing in the world. It can be done, however! Kids, teenagers and then adults who like to comprehend new knowledge aren’t just born attracted to education! There are tactics and ploys that we can all use to make ourselves more enthusiastic about this stuff. If you’re looking for ways to get your kid(s) excited about studying new things, let’s go through some of the ways you could do it.
Set An Example
First and foremost, we’ll talk about your own actions as a caregiver and as a human being. Your kids will behave as you behave. Not just because you’ve told them to for years, but because they see elders as correct authority figures. If you act out, they’ll invariably copy your actions. If you’re calm, collected and kind, they’ll usually follow suit.
So, if you give off good vibes surrounding a particular subject or the thought of studying as a whole, then it’ll probably trickle down to them. Let them see how interested you are in learning a new thing and watch them bounce off of the idea themselves. You never know, if you continue behaving in this particular way, it could benefit you, too. You may go from not being too interested yourself to being genuinely keen on something.
Reward Them
This sounds like bribing your child to do something – and that’s because it is. This is for when they’re a very, very tough nut to crack, usually. People only really tend to do things if they feel like they’ll get something out of it. If somebody wants to learn something, it’ll be because they’ll be rewarded with the knowledge that can take them further in life, traditionally. If that’s completely off the cards, then rewarding them with something if they complete some work wouldn’t be a bad idea. At least they’ve done something productive in this instance.
Positively Reinforce Them
People react well to being praised or being geed up. That’s just a fact. In some instances, you need to be stern, aggressive and straight-up angry in order to get your message across, but most of the time a cool head prevails. Whenever they’ve completed something, let them know about it and how well they did. We all like being made to feel like we did well – it’s a drug that we always want to keep going back to. If you reinforce them positively after a good study session, then it’s going to make them want to go back and do more.
Use Games
As we said before, just looking at a textbook and hoping that the info will jump into our heads doesn’t work all that often. We need to have different means. If you have an added piece of stimulation, then the brain can become more excited. This excitement to learn is exactly what we need. Maybe you should incorporate games of competitions in their studies. Whether it’s outside or whether it’s on a laptop, it would definitely get them more interested than a bland piece of paper.
Find Different Sources Of Inspiration
When they feel like it’s all a pointless endeavour, you need to come up with something to get them back on the right path. Using influential people and role models could work – kids like to have a hero of some kind. If they want to be a writer, you could show them colossal figures like JK Rowling or Tolkien. If they like a particular story by someone like Anya Raza, then you could teach them about how she works. Do they like science? Perhaps you could show them people like Brian Cox or Bill Nye. When they have that authoritative and brilliant person to aspire to, it can give them motivation.
Keep Them In Suspense
TV shows and books do this kind of thing a lot. At the end, they finish with something that makes you want to watch or read the next bit. You could deploy this little tactic somehow with their learning. It might be a little difficult, but finishing up when they’re really interested in the next bit could give them the urge to want to know more.
Set Goals
Finally, we’ll talk about something that works with almost every person on the planet: goal setting. People like working towards something that they feel they absolutely can achieve. When we tick the particular box and complete the challenge, it feels really good. That sense of achievement is addictive. When we get one, we want to get another. You can use this little ploy to get them to study harder and harder!
Staff Writer; Shirley Hall