Five Tips to Keep Kids Motivated Until the Final School Bell Rings

May 09, 2012 • High School, Middle School

Midterms have come and gone. Spring Break is over. The days are getting warmer, and what’s left of the school year can be counted in weeks.

Students have a tendency to drift as spring arrives. After spending months indoors, the warmer temperatures and shining sun become major distractions, which make it more challenging to focus on schoolwork.

While the school year may be winding down, this is not the time to slack off!

There is still time to get better grades. There’s time to study harder. There’s time to complete an extra credit project. There’s time to develop better study skills. And most importantly, there’s still time to make a BIG difference on the final report card.

If grades need improving, the time to get started is right now! Slacking off now can be downright dangerous to grades. Students who have worked very hard the entire year can actually lose their academic footing if they let their focus slip from school. That’s why it’s important to remain motivated. After all, there are still end-of-year projects, group work, and final exams on the horizon. The truth is that this is the perfect time to renew a sense of school dedication. Because even though the school year is coming to a close, a lot can be accomplished in the time left.

So stop daydreaming about summer! There’s work to be done!

Here’s how to stay motivated (and even pull up grades) in the time left:

1. Dust Off That Agenda. Agendas have kept students organized throughout the school year and now’s not the time to leave them forgotten in lockers or at the bottom of a school bag. Need to renew the drive to succeed? Flip through the agenda for a reminder of everything that has been achieved so far this year.

2. Work Towards a Goal. It’s easy to coast for the rest of the year, but rather than slacking, set a goal and work towards it. Whether it is by fine-tuning study skills or pulling up a math grade, having a goal to work towards makes staying motivated easy.

3. Take On Extra Credit Projects. Students that need a leg up (whether to pull up grades or to secure a university admission) can really benefit from extra credit projects. Talk to teachers about bonus projects or assignments. Teachers look favourably on students who make an effort, and this is especially important when it comes to creating final report cards.

4. Make Better Grades Your Mantra. To get better grades you have to do the work. To do the work, you have to be motivated, which is challenging this time of year. Create daily reminders of what the goal is—write “I want better grades” in the agenda, put it on post its by the bed, and say it out loud while walking the dog. The more it’s said and heard, the more it will be believed and achieved.

5. Get Extra Help. End-of-year projects and exams can stress even the most organized students. Enlist the help of a professional tutor to help manage current workload and learn helpful tips to make studying for finals stress-free. Oxford Learning has many great programs that help students make the rest of this year as successful as possible. Call today and make the rest of this year count!

Make the rest of this year count. The clock may be ticking on the school year, but there is still time to make this grade the best grade ever!