Mike Smith:
As a parent, you have reasons for homeschooling that motivate you even when you’re frustrated or discouraged. For children, those reasons aren’t as easy to grasp. They’d rather be hitting baseballs in the backyard or building a tent in their bedroom.

So before you start the school year, develop an incentive structure that will help your children stay focused on their learning goals. Good incentives translate the benefits of education into terms your children can understand. Different kids respond to different incentives. A good incentive structure has clear goals, an evaluation standard, and a definite reward.

Your goals for your child should be specific, attainable, and understandable. Communicate to your child how you will determine that he has accomplished his various goals. If the goal is to write an excellent research paper, provide a checklist that you will use to evaluate the paper. Get your child’s feedback before determining what incentive you will offer.

Most importantly, give incentives fairly and consistently. Don’t change your evaluation standard halfway through a project unless there’s a good reason. Don’t wait too long to give your child his promised reward.

Finally, remember that the biggest incentive you can offer your child is unconditional love. Your constant support, encouragement, and discipline can motivate your child even when nothing else does.

And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.