The key to steady motivation is creating intrinsic motivation, which is motivation from within. As parents, it can be tempting to try and micromanage children, but they will be more successful if they know how to motivate themselves when you aren’t around. Here are some tips for helping your teen develop intrinsic motivation. 

Sit down with your teen and ask them to set some long-term and short-term goals. Some examples of long-term goals might be a job opportunity or a college acceptance letter. Short-term goals might involve making a sports team or getting a high score on a test. After setting some goals, ask your teen what they need to do in order to reach their goals. Each goal should have 2 - 3 action steps they can take that will help them be successful. 

After planning out some steps, ask your teen to come up with one more thing. What is their reason why? Intrinsic motivation only works if you believe in the importance of achieving your goals. After your teen has determined their goals, their steps, and their reason why, create a poster and hang it up in their room so they can be reminded of it every day. If they aren't up for that, make sure they write everything down somewhere so they can reflect on it throughout the year.

As teens grow and develop their identity, it’s important that they have plenty of opportunities to explore their interests. It is quite rare that young kids decide who they want to be when they grow up and follow that path. It’s more likely that teens will feel interested in a variety of paths in life. Quitting a sport or after-school club isn’t always a sign of laziness; it’s actually quite common for teens to lose interest in one activity and try something new. Talk to your teen about what interests they want to explore and give them opportunities to try new activities! 

Sometimes in life the process is more empowering than the outcome. When it comes to studying in school, this is definitely the case. Of course, it’s important to get good grades, but don’t forget about the importance of developing traits like responsibility, self-management, time-management, and resilience. Your teen might get discouraged if they don’t get the score they were hoping for on an exam, but remind them that hard work does pay off eventually.

Letting your teen have a say in how things work is extremely beneficial to their motivation and autonomy. When you take the “because I said so” approach, teens can feel powerless and unmotivated. This is an especially ineffective approach to take with this younger generation. Instead of taking an authoritarian approach, talk to your teen about what they feel are reasonable expectations and consequences. When teens have a say in house rules and schedules, they are more likely to stick to the rules because they have already rationalized them with you. This is also a chance for teens to practice making good judgements. 

Keeping your teen motivated isn’t always easy, but it is worth it in the long run. Teenagers get a bad reputation for being lazy, but this isn’t always the case. With some goal setting, exploration of different interests, and open communication about expectations, teens can reach their highest potential!

Club Z! Tutoring in Glenbrook specializes in providing individualized, in-home, and virtual tutoring for students K-12 in Northbrook and Glenview. If you want your child to work on developing skills that will translate to improved grades and self-esteem, contact us today at: bbalatsos@clubztutoring.com. You can also schedule a time to speak with us via phone here: phone consultation.