The Science of Motivation and Its Implications
What’s the best way to motivate children? The natural motivation to learn about the world around us begins in infancy. This type of motivation can either be encouraged or suppressed by the experiences adults provide for children. Psychological research points to a set of promising approaches that parents and practitioners can use to promote positive motivation and learning during development.
The Center on the Developing Child offers several resources on the science of motivation that parents, schools, and policy makers will find both interesting and useful. You may want to start with Five Facts About Motivation That Are Often Misunderstood, then move on to How to Motivate Children: Science-Based Approaches for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers. There's even an interactive graphic that will show you the brain regions involved in motivation and how they work together.
