Autism Soccer: How to Use Motivation as a Driving Force for Kids

You feel motivated when you reach your goals; the same thing goes for children.

Think for a second on what makes you do the things you do. For example, take something that you love doing, whether it is working or just a hobby, and find out why you do it. Is it because it gives you a reward, like money or sheer happiness about completing a task? That certain force that makes you keep on going or trying new things and practicing is called “motivation”. it is the fact that at the end of the rope, there’s something waiting for you, whether it is something material or not, which gives you a feeling of accomplishment.

For us adults, it is important, but for kids, it’s the driving force for their actions, and what keeps them learning and experimenting new things in order to achieve success as they know it. But sometimes, parents and teachers don’t quite know how important it is and don’t take the extra steps to ensure that children are motivated throughout their lives to make them feel happy and comfortable. Today I’m going to explain to you how important is is for you to use motivation as a tool to make them grow in confidence.

Why motivation?

During these formative years, is important to teach them how to do things that make them happy and the importance of achieving their goals through hard work. This is when motivation comes in handy, because more than ordering them to do something, you are using their own minds and hearts to steer them into the right direction. This means that they must relate to the people around them in order to work together. This is in no way an indication that you should reward every sort of behavior, regardless of its nature. Work with them to figure out what makes them feel happy and fulfilled and use these elements to make sure they are motivated throughout their day.

How can I motivate?

Motivation is an all-over inclusive process, and it requires certain amounts of effort from parents, teachers, and coaches to increase its impact in children’s lives. With that in mind, you need to let go of the notions of motivation through giving prices, as this creates a feel of loss when they don’t reach a goal. More than sticking to the traditional reward system, you need to make sure these incentives purely based on the comforting feeling they will get when they work hard to reach their goals, regardless of the final outcome. Use the eventual setbacks as lessons, and teach them that while they didn’t achieve what they wanted, they gained experience and other particular things according to the case, making them feel like winners either way. I’ll give you some tips on how to motivate:

Use creative rewards (and make sure they are fulfilling to the child).
Praise their strengths and achievements.
Use your actions as an example.
Teach them how to handle setbacks.

What are you doing to keep your child motivated? Use these pieces of advice to make sure that you kid is working towards reaching their goals in the right way! With the help of organizations like Autism Soccer, you can be sure they will make them reach their goals in a cooperative setting that will impulse their dreams.