Homeschool on the Fly

• Mar. 28, 2008 - Getting him motivated

We are working on learning how to read.  I have been using a phonics book called Alpha-Phonics,  which is pretty basic, but my son is acting a bit bored....OK, well, we are only on the 14th lesson, and still working on the combinations with the letter a....he probably knows about 50 words already, taped to our dining room door for reference, I just wanted to go thru a real program with him to make sure that we weren't forgetting anything.   My problem is that he doesn't really have any interest in doing this work.  He'll do it, so that I will let him spend time on the computer, or in front of the TV...but how do I get him to WANT to do the work, without bribing him? 

We have the same problem with math, he wants to give up so easily, even though with the slightest bit of concentration he can accomplish all that I am asking of him.    He doesn't seem to have a problem with concentration, as long as it is a topic that he is interested in...Magic School Bus computer games keep him busy for hours, and he is learning tons from them.  He can watch How It's Made for hours, and tell us all about what he watched, and give plenty of details.  But as soon as I say that he has to do some 'work', he shuts down.  He's only 5!  What am I going to do with him to keep up his momentum, if I can't get him to be internally motivated?  I don't want to bribe him throughout all his school days.  

I suppose that the problem is that he is not going to be motivated to do what I want him to do, until he wants to do it.  I think that is really what un-schooling is about.  When he is really interested in something, the learning happens at atomic speed.  It is so hard to get out of the public school mind set, where everyone is being taught on a schedule, and you either learn it or you don't , and you may or may not come back to it at a later time.  We go back to his favorite activities all the time...slime making in particular...and going out to explore the yard(and the mud...!)

I hope that I can learn to just let him learn....and just expose him to as much as possible, so that he can find those things that interest him....they all get his attention at some point!
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• Mar. 28, 2008 - Motivation

Posted by kcmyworld
I think the "lack of motivation" is a function of age at this point. At 5, it's a rare child who is self-motivated to learn in a traditional sense. But he is learning - through the games and videos. I would encourage you to let him learn in these ways for the time being. Books, worksheets and more formalized or structured lessons can come later. Do lots of reading together about whatever interests him. My dd is 5 and we do an occasional page in a phonics workbook (more for busy work when I need focused time with DS-6). Most of her reading abilities have come from simply reading books together. I picked up one at the library last week, intending to read it to her and instead, she read it to me yesterday. Keep it fun for now!

Praying for you
Robin
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