Children who score the best marks in exams are not the only smart kids in the class or school. In fact, many students with top-scoring potential are unable to achieve it because they haven't received training in learning methods that suit them.

Coaching any child to understand their learning styles and recognize their limitations can lead to excellence not only in academics but also in life. Knowing how to work according to your personal style is crucial in long-serving motivation. Want to ensure that your child remains motivated to learn and study? Here are five tips that are ought to help!

1. Allow them to take the lead wherever they can

Teaching your child to articulate their strengths and weaknesses is crucial in ensuring they can express themselves in the best way possible. Ask them what they want to do, what topics they want to study and be open to the possibility of not being involved in everything your child does. Children respond better to learning when they do not feel controlled and when you are fostering an atmosphere that allows them to take charge of their academics.

2. Lead by example

If you want your child’s curiosity to be nurtured by motivation, you must show them that you are constantly committed to trying or learning new things. For instance, if you take up a hobby and see it through, then you are showing your child that learning is fun and fruitful if supported with discipline and dedication. The best way to do this is to also engage your child in learning a new hobby with you.

3. Make the learning count and not the performance

Regularly associating learning with performance is detrimental to a child. Children tend to stop enjoying learning if everything they do is seen as a road to A+ on their report cards. They lose the value of the learning experience if they are only measured on their final performance. For any big project to come alive, the process is what people tend to refine and that is what leads to the final outcome. So always support the process over the outcome!

4. Recognise them as their own individuals

Children respond to “I told you to do this / I told you so” the same way adults do. The idea that children do not know any better is what keeps them from learning and staying motivated. They will need parental validation on everything they do and won’t be able to make independent decisions on their own. It is important for parents to give them a space to discuss their interests, argue their case and form their own opinions.

5. Discipline and organisation

Encouraging your child’s interest is simply not enough. They must also be taught to commit themselves to the ideas they express or the interests they want to pursue. For instance, if a child has made a verbal commitment to learning a new language, follow up with them and ask them when they would like to initiate the process and also help them to find a time and space for it. Allowing these interests to hang in the air makes children feel like their parents don’t take their learning needs seriously enough.

As parents, you always want to curate the best experiences for your children and that holds true for academics as well. Children are sponges and they absorb whatever environments they see around them. So, it is important that we provide them with the support and mental stimulation they need as it only helps them stay focused when they grow older!