The self-driven child - Chapter 5: Inner drive




What makes us tick? inner motivation

The growth mindset
Praise effort and various strategies kids use to solve problems, rather than their built-in ability. "Your curiosity is really fun for me to see" " I am really impressed with how hard you worked on that test"

Self-determination
1. a sense of autonomy
the best way to motivate a child is to support their sense of control.

  • Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate much more motivation than rewards and punishments.
  • give them as much control over their choices as possible, including asking them what it is they want to be competent at and in charge of
2. a sense of competence
  • It's about feeling consciously competent, not about having a trophy
  • Supporting our kids in developing competence is our job as [parents
  • "You worked really hard on that test and I'm proud of you even if you didn't get the grade you wanted. I imagine it's clear to us both that you are getting better and are getting nearer to reaching your goal"
3. related
  • related refers to the feeling of being connected to others, of being cared about. 
  • It's a child's identification with the values and goals of the people who care for her and love her unconditionally
Example: instead of scolding the children they come home with a subpar grade, you say:
I know this is upsetting to you (relatedness). I know you worked hard on that. I'd be happy to talk through things to help you for next time (competence) if you want (autonomy)"

Sculpting a motivated brain
  • Frequent exposure to states of flow can sculpt a young brain to be motivated and focused
  • to enter a state of flow, the activity has to be challenging enough not to be boring, but not so difficult that it's overly stressful



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