Thanksgiving has come and gone. Now it's time to prepare for Christmas!
Like the rest of us, students love to look forward to Christmas. For students, there's more to look forward to than just Christmas gifts around the tree, holiday baking, and Christmas parties.
For students in both traditional and online schools, Christmas means a break from schoolwork! No more tests, papers, and teachers for a few whole weeks. Christmas break from school sometimes brings as much joy to students as the Christmas season does.
The problem with students looking so far forward to Christmas is they forget to focus on what's right in front of them: ending the semester solidly. It's so easy for students in all grades, especially elementary age, to slack at this time of the year, sliding lazily into the last few weeks of the semester.
Unfortunately, this is absolutely the wrong time to ease up on learning, as much of a one-semester class' important information is introduced toward the end of the year. In addition, for full-year courses, December means mid-semester tests which can be crucial to the overall class grade.
If your student has visions of Christmas dancing in his head instead of math equations, here are a few tips to keep him focused:
Focus on the goal.
Focus is a skill. Develop it with your student by finding out what really keeps him centered on a goal. Some students like lists to
check off. Some like visualizing what it will feel like to finish a class well. Some are motivated by getting a good grade. Whatever it takes, make the focus of your student his academic goal.
Offer rewards for progress.
The best motivation for success comes from within. However, for some students, motivation is kick-started externally with rewards. The dangling carrot for your student could be things like a longer Christmas break, a dinner out, more free time, cash, a day with friends, and so on. Make sure if your student achieves his goal, you follow through with rewards promised!
Take breaks to help concentration.
You can't expect your learner to not get distracted by holiday events. The best way to beat the distraction is to allow your student to take breaks. This should be scheduled according to what you have left to accomplish. Breaks can be a few hours or a day or two. Allowing your student's mind to relax and think about Christmas can help him concentrate better on his lessons in the long run.
Don't overcrowd the schedule.
Schedule can be an ugly word to students. This especially comes apparent during the Christmas season. With events and parties, students can feel like they are pulled in multiple directions. Families sometimes take on more than they can handle with Christmas activities and schoolwork. Be sure to leave time in your student's schedule so he can focus on school.
Celebrate when it's time.
It's so easy to celebrate Christmas all December. However, for the sake of your student, keep the party to Christmas morning (or whenever you start Christmas break). Having events before your student can participate in them will just make him frustrated. He'll feel left out and unhappy if not allowed to celebrate with the rest of the family. When the time comes, go all out on happiness! Celebrate the joy of Christmas together.
What tips do you have for motivating your student around Christmas time? Share with us!