Do your children ever feel like their school work is pointless?

Show pride in your children’s work by displaying it. Make them feel like their work is worth every bit of the effort they put into it. We want them to feel a sense of pride about what they do, right? We want them to take the time to do their best work, right? My children used to actually say, "What does it matter, nobody but you sees it?"

So I started making a bigger deal of some of their work. When a piece sticks out to me as being extra well-done, or I know they’ve put a ton of effort into something, I’ll put it up in our "gallery". It’s just a space we have in a stairwell that I reserve for their things only. I change it out frequently and make a big deal of it when company happens to pass by.

Here’s a fairly recent picture of our gallery.

Another thing I started doing was making notebooks and lapbooks more beautiful. In other words, we have a lovely place to store the work, making it seem more special to them. I’m also going to suggest that our co-op have some sort of "Bring Your Best Work" showcase next year. And ask our local library to allow our group to display projects for a week or two. Both of these should give the kids a extra boost of "somebody cares".

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bribe my children into doing their work well. Nor am I trying to make them feel that they have to have kuddos for everything they do. I’m just trying to make sure that their work is applauded once in awhile. I believe their efforts deserve that. I hope you find exciting ways to encourage your children! I’d love to hear your ideas!!

Cindy West (On Our Journey Westward) is a homeschooling mom of three who loves to encourage and inspire other homeschoolers.

Related Tags: school work, homeschooling, encouragement

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