How to get kids to love school, according to science

According to a study from the Harvard Ed School, happiness is positively correlated with motivation and academic achievement. Put simply, happy kids do better in school.

So today, we’re sharing tips on how to get kids motivated to study hard and do well — but all our advice boils down to helping kids love learning again.

📬 In today’s issue:

• How to get your kids to love studying — no nagging required

• Want your kids to get good grades? Set them up with these good habits first.

• Here’s what really happens when parents get involved in their kid’s academics…

• Plus: Reserve your spot in our FREE College application masterclass

💡 How to get your kids to take school seriously

When it comes to getting kids to take school seriously, threats and bribes don’t work.

Why it matters: It’s tempting to say, “You can’t watch TV if you don’t do your homework,” and that may even be effective for a while. But in the long run, it’s setting your kid up to fail.

Do this instead: Get clear on the WHY. Why is it important for kids to study? Why is it important for kids to do well in school?

If your kid’s only reason for studying is so you don’t get mad at them, then they’ll never develop intrinsic motivation to study — that is, motivation that comes from within, not from external sources.

Focus on the future: What kind of life do they envision for themselves? Ask them to think about their answer (because, odds are, doing well in school is the path to getting there). This is key to developing intrinsic motivation.

Down the line: When your kids are out in the real world and no longer have you around to remind them to do their homework (think: their first years of college), they’ll be grateful you helped them build their internal motivation system.

I created 2 Youtube Videos about helping kids imagine their future life.

The first is Budgeting. I’ve worked with hundreds of teens, and they have no idea how much money is needed for retirement, how much a house costs in the city they live in, or what a starting salary looks like. This makes it hard for them to plan for the life they want.

In this video, I share an activity that kids can do to build awareness around money and finances while better understanding what they are working towards.

The second video is based on another workshop we ran around building the 6 skills needed to make $10,000 per hour. We teach kids the money pyramid - how most of the world makes <$10/hour and what skills it takes to climb it to $100/hour, $1000/hour, and $10,000/hour jobs.

💡 How to teach your kids good study habits

Your kid’s grades will only be as good as their study habits.

Why it matters: With technology, it’s easier than ever to get distracted at home. Not to mention that many school assignments these days are done on the computer, requiring strict discipline to avoid opening new tabs and getting off track.

How do we set our kids up for success so they don’t have to ride it out on willpower alone?

Quiet hours: No one can multi-task, least of all kids. For younger kids, set defined “study hours” each day in which you turn off the TV, put away phones, and rally the family to switch to quiet activities together.

For older kids, let them decide when they want their quiet hours to be — and then help them make it a reality by ensuring they have time and space to focus.

No phones allowed: The biggest study distraction is the cell phone. If it’s in the room, it will cause your kid’s cognitive capacity to decline — even if it’s turned off. 

Help kids understand the consequences of being distracted. Homework takes longer, and their study quality goes down, so every minute spent counts less.

If kids are excited to move on to other things, like watching their favorite TV show, then anything that helps them get their work done more quickly (even phone-free time) will seem worth it.

Show them how it’s done: Lastly, let your kids see you modeling good behaviors when you’re doing your own work. Kids don’t do as we say, they do as we do.

🔥 Give your teen the edge on college applications

Great grades and test scores are no longer enough to secure a spot at top universities.

In the high-stakes game of college admissions, extracurriculars aren’t just checkboxes—they’re your secret arsenal.

Join BETA Camp and Dr. Arthur Smith (former Admissions Chair at Cornell University) for a FREE, 30-minute virtual Masterclass on crafting an Ivy-league worthy extracurricular profile.

When: Thursday, August 10th, 8 PM ET
For: Parents of high school students

💡 Why parents need to be involved in their kids’ academics

When parents get involved, research shows that grades, behavior, attitudes about learning, attendance, and participation all improve.

Why it matters: Kids get disconnected from their love of learning when they don’t see why work is relevant.

This is where parents can come in. They can help bring personal experience into the mix, so kids can start to see why what they’re learning is valuable.

How to do it: Keep in touch with your kid’s teachers so you can learn what lessons are coming up next. That way, you can be prepared to build connections to that topic at home.

Making things feel relevant helps solidify what kids learn, but it also helps reintroduce the wonder and joy of learning that are so critical to long-term success in school.

🚀 Ivy’s essentials: ChatGPT for learning, Bill Gates’s knowledge test, and more

Here’s what I’m reading and sharing this week!

• Check out this series of ChatGPT prompts that one of our program directors built. Each one helps kids learn how to use the AI tool to help them learn and study better — no cheating here.

• With the rise of AI, it’s getting harder to separate truth from fiction online. This is exactly why parents need to be teaching kids basic media literacy skills, like how to identify internet scams, find sources, and more.

• Bill Gates says the only way to know if you truly understand something is if you can explain it to a child — and teaching his kids at home was one of the ways he refined his own understanding.

Elon Musk says we should take risks. Oprah Winfrey reminds us to turn wounds into wisdom. The best life advice comes from successful people — click here for three more of our favorites.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,
Ivy
CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo
Follow my journey on LinkedIn