My child has no motivation to learn - what can I do?

As the new school year starts with online learning many children lose the motivation to learn. They lose the fun of learning new things and no longer have the natural thirst for knowledge that we see in most primary school children when they proudly learn to read, write and calculate.

Instead, it costs many pupils a great deal of effort to sit down at their desk and learn for the next class test, especially in this new digital environment. If they have not understood a subject in class, most of them lose their motivation to learn, because they simply do not know where to start. The problem often lies in the fact that the students are overwhelmed by the abundance of subjects and learning material. Many children have learning difficulties in science subjects such as maths or physics and lose the motivation to learn. In addition, a teacher cannot take care of all pupils equally, although he or she may wish to do so. But often it is not the teacher's fault, because if there are more than 30 pupils in a class and each one has a different learning rhythm, it is not possible to do justice to all pupils equally. The motivation to learn is lost - both for the teacher and for the pupils. Often parents only find out how great the pressure to learn and succeed at school actually is after a few conversations with their child. They consider how they can create a motivation to learn for their children, but fail because they do not know how to do this. The result is a vicious circle created by lack of communication and poor, unsatisfactory grades. This is difficult to break and requires the urgent help of parents. If, as a parent, you are familiar with the problems described above or if you recognise some of these situations, the following are five tips on how you can best support your child. So that you and your child no longer lack the motivation to learn in the future. Tip 1: Be an emotional support Be proud of your child and above all: show him regularly and help him to be motivated to learn! When you think about when he started reading to you as a first grader - wasn't your heart bursting with pride? And now your offspring is in secondary school, solving complicated mathematical equations. Isn't that progress? Well, praise your child when he comes home with the next good grade and tell him how proud you are. If the child comes home with a bad grade, don't get mad right away, but talk to your child. Maybe he or she was in poor physical condition on the day of the exam or had a fight with their best friend. Be honest: Wouldn't you mess up an exam there too? The lack of motivation to study might not have been the reason. Go through the test results with your child and see where he or she failed. At the weak points you can then work together in the future to improve your performance. Your child will thank you if you try to put yourself in his or her place. Tip 2: Act according to the reward principle Rewards increase the motivation to learn. Here you can be creative: For example, if your child has been studying hard all week for an upcoming math exam and has passed it successfully, he or she can choose a small reward. How about lunch at your favourite restaurant or a visit to the cinema, for example? But also make sure that it doesn't become a habit, but only happens from time to time. Also make sure that the topics of school and learning are not constantly in the foreground, but that there are other things in life. Because if you talk about school all the time, the child may develop negative feelings about school. So: Every now and then a little reward for your diligent student helps to motivate him to learn! Tip 3: Do not threaten your child with punishment Nothing can demotivate a child more than the threat of punishment. It's human to feel uncomfortable sitting at your desk in summer and not wanting to learn - especially when the sun is shining outside. So if your child becomes stubborn and doesn't want to learn, don't threaten him or her with a mobile phone or computer ban. This will make things worse and put you and your child in a bad mood. Lack of motivation to learn is the result.

Instead, try to find a compromise that you and your child can live with, for example: study for two hours in the afternoon and then go out and enjoy the weather! This way you are guaranteed to create motivation to learn! Tip 4: Role reversal - Become a student How about a little role reversal for a change? You play the student and your child the teacher, who explains the subject matter in his own way. The change of perspectives helps to further process what you have learned and apply it in a practical environment. In this way your child notices how well prepared he or she is for an upcoming exam. Here the motivation to learn is pre-programmed. So: arrange a tutoring session with your child! Tip 5: Interactive exercises and learning videos for a better understanding Often you as parents cannot help with complicated math problems or you do not have enough time to deal with English grammar rules.

After the learning frustration follows the bad grades because your child does not fully understand what he learned at school and has no one to explain it in more detail. Motivation to learn - no chance! But this does not have to be the case. Online learning platforms with a good media mix, which consists of interactive exercises, learning videos, lexicon articles, original classroom work and sample solutions, help and can motivate a child to learn better. But, the most important thing to remember NOW is P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E. is the key.

Remember, Your Voice. Their Imagination. So choose your words and tone carefully!