20 Ways to Motivate Children

By Dr. Gary Smalley

1.    Hold them accountable yet be supportive.
2.    Give them tender touching and listening.
3.    Help children choose their own goals
4.    Help children visualize positive results of achieving goals and the negative of not reaching goals
5.    Remember the power of praise.
6.    Expose children to a variety of activities.
7.    Expect children to do things right.
8.    Help children develop a more positive self image.
9.    Believe your child can achieve great things.
10.  Reward your child.
11.  Use the Ol' "You can't do it can you?" principle.
12.  Expose your children to people you admire.
13.  Be persistent.
14.  Be enthusiastic.
15.  Develop strong inner convictions.
16.  Use contracts.
17.  Encouragement from piers.
18.  Create a positive successful experience.
19.  Wait for the children to act on their own, don't always be the one in charge.
20.  Tell your children why you love them.

Raising Children
1.  Establish clear defined and understood rules in the home, limits that the children know they cannot violate without some consistent consequences.
2.  A Commitment to love each child as a warm, affectionate, and supportive way, in good times as well as bad.