More and more students feel overwhelmed by the lessons. Our expert gives tips on how parents can motivate their children.
Photo: Stock.XCHNG
The former headmaster Adolf Timm is traveling throughout Germany as a parent trainer. His goal: "I want children to enjoy learning again." The most important foundation for this can be laid by the parents. Timm's message: "Every kid likes to learn in principle." The magic word is called dopamine: a messenger substance that is released in the brain if successful and of which the human demands more and more like a drug. "Most schools, however, rely too much on pressure to perform and too little on the promotion of individual strengths.There you can counteract as a parent, " says the former headmaster from experience.
1. Praise right
"Every child needs praise as an incentive for further achievements, " explains Adolf Timm. "Help your child develop a positive self-image and teach him to use his strengths in a targeted way." First and foremost, the effort and not just the grade should be praised. Even a close four in the class work is worth a lot if you have really worked hard for it before.
2. Become active
"Encourage your child to experiment and explore, let it help in the kitchen and explain why water boils or why yeast is in the cake dough, if you do not know something yourself, look up the dictionary together Parents are not omniscient, so you teach your child to learn all his life.
3. Recognition instead of punishment
Create a culture of recognition. Children should never be intimidated by punishment and successes at school should not be ignored without comment.
4. Do not compare
Do not compare your child with others, always with yourself and your services. Each child is unique, has its own individual strengths and weaknesses.
5. Learn from mistakes
Mistakes are the salt in the soup. Out of mistakes, self-inflicted, children and adults learn the most for life.
