Motivation and Success

Dealing with the Immense Pressures of VCE

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We’ve talked about motivation and success when it comes to study and examinations.

But an increasingly important issue surrounding these ideas is the pressure that is put on our students…

By the education system, by parents, and by the students themselves.

Studies show that in Australia, we are bordering on an adolescent mental health epidemic.

Instances of anxiety and depression in young people are becoming increasingly and alarmingly common.

And a huge source of these conditions is stress from schooling.

The pressure is even taking a toll on parents, with a mental health organisation setting up extra counselling services for parents of high school students.

So how do we help our kids, and ourselves, to deal with the pressure?

VCE Motivation: Bribery, Threats and Restrictions, but at what cost?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Our staff psychologist Christina Rigoli was quoted on page 3 of The Age today, discussing the tactics parents use to motivate their kids to study.

Among them — bribing with $18,000 holidays, threats of boarding school, and house-wide technology freezes!

The parents confessing to these ‘motivation tactics’ said their efforts paid off, but this is more a matter of chance than formula.

The key distinction in this equation is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to motivation…

What may work in encouraging one child could backfire and have the opposite affect on another.

So how do you know what the right method of motivation is for your child?

Choosing VCE Electives — Remembering the Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We’ve discussed the Fixed versus Growth mindset model on the blog a few times.

It’s something worth noting and considering in many aspects of parenting.

But keeping the principles in mind when helping your kids pick VCE electives can be particularly beneficial for their long-term goals.

A recent article in The Atlantic discusses how a Fixed mindset inadvertently affects our children in their future study choices.

The Problem with Championing ‘Success’ Over Kid’s Love of Learning

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

If you saw our blog post about how to raise motivated children, you will be familiar with the concept of the ‘Fixed’ versus ‘Growth’ mindset.

In a nutshell, this distinction in ‘mindsets’ focuses on the idea that what makes people successful is motivation, dedication and commitment, rather than innate ability or intelligence.

And that the former are the qualities that we should be praising and instilling in our children.

A recent article in The Atlantic furthers some of the ideas that come from the Fixed versus Growth mindset model, in what one parent describes as the ‘crime against learning’.

What Constitutes Too Sick for School?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Many children (and adults!) will try to ‘chuck a sickie’ once in their lives.

But when the parents are in control, how can you tell when a sick day from school is justified?

There are a number of issues that come into play.

The Psychology of Cleaning

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

‘Tidy House, Tidy Mind’.

A phrase we have most likely all considered at some point in our lives… usually when we’re in the middle of a distinctly un-tidy situation!

And in recent years, the topics of cleaning and de-cluttering have even featured in the NYT best-seller list…

Why?

Because tidying has been linked with both good and bad outcomes.

Why You Shouldn’t Help Your Kids With Their Homework

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

If you’re like most parents of school-aged kids, you’ve probably witnessed an anxious child struggling with a challenging homework task.

The temptation to help them in some way can be very strong…

And even when the ‘help’ starts off with a gentle nudge in the right direction, it can sometimes end up with the child sleeping on the couch while you finish off the project!

It’s perfectly understandable. We want to stop children from being anxious, while helping them to succeed.

But it’s best not to help too much.

Why?

10 Tips for Being a Better Parent: From a School Principal

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Teachers may not be child psychologists, but they sure know kids.

Their day-to-day activities, likes and dislikes, attitudes and behaviours…

And they’ve often got good insights into where their behaviours come from.

A recent article in The Guardian revealed how teachers might sometimes understand more about your kids than you realise.

This author of the article — a school principal in the UK — has identified a number of strategies we often use in our work with children and parents.

How Hard Should You Push Your Kids to Play Sport?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

There’s no question that physical activity is extremely important for kids.

And playing team sport can help to build confidence, learn social skills and teamwork, and establish longer term healthy lifestyle habits.

Furthermore, studies show that kids who play sport are less likely to be overweight, to abuse drugs or alcohol in later years, or to perform badly in school.

But of course not all kids enjoy sport equally.

And if that’s the case for your child?

You’ve probably wondered how hard to push them to get involved…or even if you should push them at all…

There are many factors to consider.

But it’s important to understand the distinction between a gentle nudge in the right direction, and forcing your kids to do things way beyond their will.

Helping Parents to Help Their Children Thrive

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Back in 1986, The Jamaica Test revealed some very interesting findings about the effect of parental attitudes on children’s behaviour.

Researchers divided the families of 129 children into two groups:

One group received weekly hour-long visits from a trained researcher, who encouraged the parents to spend more quality time with their children — reading, playing games and singing songs.

And the other group received nutritional supplements each week, without the parental coaching.

The results?

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