Achievement Motivation-Asset 21

Achievement Motivation: The Desire to Do Well in School and In Life

Isn’t this something every parent wants for and from their children: The desire to do well in school and be able to achieve what it is that is expected of them and what they expect from themselves? I think most parents are answering yes to my question. Some parents reading this may have children that thrive on learning and achieving already. That is wonderful. However, some of you may be wondering how to go about building this asset into the lives of your child or children.

There are many things you can do to build this asset into your child’s life and the sooner you begin the better. One of the first and most important things you can do is to model your desire and expectations to do well at all the things you do in life, whether it is cooking, working, completing a project or doing things for your child. Also, do all you can to have your child spend time with other adults or older children who want to succeed at what they do.

It also contribute to this asset to let your child play with toys they like, so they learn to have fun and do things to please themselves, not only to please others. Why is this important? It’s important because it allows your child to develop a sense of motivation from within, which we know lasts longer than motivation driven by outside sources. We are all born with an instinct for “active mastery” of our environment, and allowing children to engage in activities that please them helps to preserve rather than discourage this need to learn and master challenges on their own.

Something else we can do to build this asset is to teach our children to break complex tasks down into small, manageable steps so they can experience success more often and more consistently. A big task can be overwhelming and discourage active mastery. In addition, we can help our child learn more about things they have a natural interest in. This is often called “feeding” their interests or supporting their natural motivations to learn.

We are also learning that it is best to use rewards and incentives sparingly with young children, particularly if we are supporting natural interests and inner motives for learning. Using rewards too much can make it hard for the child to be motivated from within when they get older. When children are young, your pleasure in their accomplishments is a great motivator. When they are older they will be more likely to be proud of themselves when they accomplish things.

If you would like more information about this asset or any of the 40 Developmental Assets, contact me at 406-442-1374 or wmichael@rmdc.net.