Motivate: University of Maine Cooperative Extension Center for Parents

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"We are all afraid of failing – of our children not being good enough and of not being good enough parents." Judith A. Graham, Human Development Specialist, University of Maine.

MOTIVATING includes promoting your children’s desire and ability to learn. Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers. Parents who take that responsibility seriously help their children enjoy learning in all parts of their lives. Children whose parents help them become good learners do better and reach higher levels in school.

MOTIVATING is closely related to Guiding and Nurturing. Parents who are motivators lovingly nurture and guide their children respectfully and sensitively. MOTIVATING is also a skill that parents can easily learn about and improve.

Practices for MOTIVATING

Teach children about themselves, others, and the world around them.
Stimulate curiosity, imagination, and the search for knowledge.
Create conditions that support learning.
Help children process and manage information.

What We Know About MOTIVATING

Children need opportunities to learn.

Children learn better with parents/caregivers who understand their needs and learning style.

Strong language and reading skills predict educational success. Children who have reading and writing materials at home, and whose parents read to them, are better readers than children who do not have these encouragements.

When parents talk to and cooperate with their children’s teachers, children are more likely to do well in school.

Children achieve more if their parents expect them to do their best, without putting too much pressure on them.

This material is adapted with permission. Smith, C. A., Cudaback, D., Goddard, H. W., & Myers-Walls, J. A. (1994). National Extension Parent Education Model. Manhattan, KS: Kansas Cooperative Extension System.

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Last Modified: 08/29/07
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