7 Motivational Activities for Students

1 Brain Breaks
This one is ridiculously simple and can be easily tailored to your student’s preferences.
Basic science shows that students who get regular breaks during academic time are
better able to store and remember new information. Kids are also able to learn/work for
longer stretches at a time with regular breaks. (Just like grown-ups! Who would have
guessed?) Generally, you should schedule a short break for every 3 minutes times your
child’s age. So a five year old could have a brain break every fifteen minutes, and a 15
year old could go for 45 minutes.

Brain breaks are great for getting in physical activity (especially if your child struggles
with ADHD or other attention disorders). While you can do something calming like a
stretch or yoga break, you can also crank up the energy. Dance breaks are a huge hit
with younger students. You can check out YouTube for “brain break dance music” for
some wholesome tunes (I know my daughter and her friends love the Freeze Dance
song). Some songs also come with choreographed dances kids can learn in five
minutes!
Other kids might be more motivated by an artsy brain break. Encourage them to doodle
with their pen or pencil for five minutes between sections. You also could print out a
coloring page or mandela to focus on. Don’t let them pull out the whole arts and crafts
box, however. The point of a brain break isn’t to start a whole new activity. Rather, it’s
taking just enough time to relax and build steam to power them through the next
lesson.
Whatever type of brain break you choose to have, set a timer where your child can see
it (or have them set it themself). This way, they don’t get so caught up in the break
that going back to learning becomes a fight. Setting the timer sets the expectation, and
it makes transitioning back to learning much easier.

2 Games (as an Academic and Motivational Activity)

I don’t know about you, but some of my favorite days in elementary school were spent
playing “7 Up.” Perhaps sometimes, my teachers just sensed that my classmates and I
simply needed a “brain break,” and used games to that end. But games can be so much
more than an unrelated carrot to dangle in front of students!
Incorporating games into actual learning processes is sometimes all it takes to wake up
a kid’s brain and re-energize them. If your child struggles with spelling, why not play
spelling bingo to encourage additional practice? If you’re working on math concepts like
greater than and less than, try incorporating dice games!

3 Chunking
For some kids (and adults!) the best way to motivate is to give them a checklist of “to-
dos.” There is something just so satisfying about scribbling off item after item upon
completing tasks.

If you suspect your child isn’t feeling very accomplished or successful recently, and that
might be contributing to their demotivation, try this. Instead of assigning “worksheet
#12,” chunk their assignments into very, very small pieces. Did they put their name at
the top of the page? CHECK! Did they read a paragraph? CHECK! Did the answer
questions 1-5? CHECK! Etc, etc.
4 Use Personal Project Time as a Motivational Activity
One of the greatest things about homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility it gives
children to pursue passions. Use this to your advantage!

At the start of each year (or semester, quarter month, etc), have each child describe
something they’d like to learn. This could be something big, like Spanish, or something
much smaller, like understanding what a “loop” is in coding. Have them write a series of
questions they’d like to answer to help guide their project. (This is also a great
opportunity for them to practice some critical thinking skills!)

Then, assign project time for the end of the day. If they want to spend time
researching how to say “I am a banana” in Spanish, they need to get their math done
first.
5 Understanding Checks
Is there anything worse than looking at a task and not having a clue how to start? Your
kids feel that same frustration! I know, you might feel like you explained an assignment
or taught a lesson over and over again. However, that doesn’t mean they understand!
I like to incorporate quick “checks for understanding” before sending any kid off to work
independently. You might have them repeat back directions to you. You might give
them some sticky notes and have them write any lingering questions they have.
Whatever method you choose, make sure it isn’t too easy for kids to just say “yeah, I
get it” if they don’t.

6 Experiential/ Learning
When dealing with a really unmotivated learner, sometimes you need to pull out the big
guns. Experiences! For some kids, the only time they perk up and listen is when their
whole body and spirit is engaged in a motivational activity.
These are easiest to come by in science and history (in my opinion). Field trips to
museums, historical sites, and out in nature are familiar to most of us and easy to think
of. But you can use experiential learning in every subject! Try some of these…
Acting out scenes from a book they’re reading
Using manipulatives (cubes, M&Ms, rocks) to understand mathematical concepts
Spelling out words by twisting their bodies or hands into letter shapes
Recreating settings from books with household items
Writing songs or raps where the lyrics are math facts, equations, or Laws
Tape out a number line on the kitchen floor, and have students hop up or down it when
doing math problems
7 Project-Based Learning
This is different from having students choose a project based on a favorite interest. In
Project-Based Learning (or PBL), the project is how students learn their academic
material. If you choose PBL, you likely won’t be able to use a traditional curriculum set
with workbooks, a textbook, and a yearly timeline, but the rewards in motivation can be
tremendous.
Designing PBL units can help get kids away from simply regurgitating information and
the boredom that sometimes comes with that territory. Instead, it gets them asking
deep questions and learning how to research the answers for themselves. This can be
scary for you, as the teacher, because you might not know the “right answer” when you
start your project together. However, this is a great way for kids to experience real-
world uncertainty in a safe environment.
So there you have it! Those are my top seven motivational activities for students. Don’t
forget to check out ALL our motivational games for students before you go!