Raising Motivated Kids: Inspiring Enthusiasm for a Great Start in Life

by Cheri Fuller

Parents can nurture their children to channel their natural energy and curiosity into positive, productive, and motivated learning experiences.

This book introduces principles to help moms and

• Make education fun for children
• Foster a creative learning environment
• Model positive behaviors and habits
• Help kids avoid burnout and manage stress

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Self Help, Christian Non Fiction, Reference

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Cheri Fuller is a gifted speaker and award-winning author of more than forty books, including The One Year Women’s Friendship Devotional, the bestselling When Mothers Pray, and A Busy Woman’s Guide to Prayer. Her books have been translated into many languages, and her speaking ministry has provided encouragement to people throughout the U.S. and abroad. A former Oklahoma Mother of the Year, Cheri has been a frequent guest on national TV and radio programs. Her articles on family, spiritual growth, relationships, and prayer have appeared in Family Circle, Focus on the Family, Guideposts, and many other publications. Cheri holds a master’s degree in English literature and is executive director of the nonprofit organization Redeeming the Family. She and her husband, Holmes, live in Oklahoma, and have three grown children and six wonderful grandchildren. Cheri’s books, Bible studies, and other resources can be found at www.cherifuller.com along with information on her speaking topics and how to schedule Cheri for events. To find out more about the ministry, visit www.redeemingthefamily.org.

Reviews

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was in incredibly quick read, but was packed with loads of useful information. I saw my younger self in many of the over-stimulated children discussed by Fuller, as well as many habits my parents had that were less than motivating. Sadly many of those habits passed on to me and looking back I can clearly see where I could have done better when trying to motivate my (much younger) siblings, nieces and nephews, or children I was charged with caring for.

It is something of a relief to have Fuller's well-sourced information under my belt. Part of my babysitting job is helping two elementary-aged boys with their schoolwork and now I can be sure I do all I can to motivate them and protect their sense of curiosity.

I feel compelled to mention that Fuller often references church activities and members as sources of support or stimulation for children. If you, like me, are not part of an Abrahamic faith then this can be off-putting. However I strongly recommend that you do a bit of mental editing to bring the text more in line with your beliefs and take the information for what it is: useful, well-sourced, and with only a small religious undercurrent that should not detract from the use you can get from the text.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for guidance in helping to motivate my second grade student, who was starting school with excitement around the social aspect, but much less interest in any sort of writing/reading/science/math endeavors. Now, perhaps it just took a little time for her to get going, or maybe I did learn a few tricks, but my daughter does seem much more engaged. We have started a few activities that she enjoys and looks forward to each week (like playing soccer on a team, and drawing with special sketching pencils and "designing" her own clothing). There is a lot less whining about wanting to watch tv, and more interest in riding her scooter after school and helping me in the evenings with basic housekeeping chores. I can't totally chalk this up to just reading a book, but I like to think it played at least a small part!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and practical

This book has a lot of practical tips for helping your kids feel motivated. Some of the illustrations are dated but overall there are many things I am going to try.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a single mom, I read a lot of books on the psychology of children, positive discipline etc, but I wish I had found this book back then !she has practical and loving suggestions on how not to pressure your kids, but still help them achieve self motivation .

Societal and unrecognized childhood issues lead us into thinking our kids must be high achievers to be happy. Well, it can also make the miserable and achieve the opposite of what we as parents want for them.

I highly recommend this little practical book for all parents! Even teachers would gain a lot of ideas from this book!

[Eileen Leacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Part one I was beginning to wonder about all those wonderful book review on amazon. It seemed to tell us all things we have heard before. I was excited to reach part 2 entitled motivation booster. Where she tell us what will boost our children's motivation, and gives us quite a few examples of how to accomplish the task. In part 3, she goes even further by explaining the ways in which we can sabotage their motivation. I really enjoyed the last two part of this book.


Part 2
Motivation boosters
#1: patience
#2 Story telling
#3 Developing curiosity
#4 Learning about the World
#5 The attitudes of responsibility and optimism

Part 3
Motivation busters
#1 Perfectionism
#2 attention problems
#3 single-parent families
#4 burnout

[Edy Gies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to all parents and teachers. It very much aligned with my philosophy of education so I can't say I gained much new information, but it did cement my views and give documented back up for my ideas. Motivating kids to do what you want them to isn't rocket science, but that isn't to say it is easy. Being a positive example and showing them how to behave is a big part of leading. As a high school teacher I was often asked, "How do I get my kid to read?" At the time I had a variety of answers but the best I can offer now is, "Read!" If I want my son to be interested in science and God's creation then I need to show the same level of interest and sense of wonder.

[Serity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty quick read. Many good points. Taught me about best ways to approach situations I'm having with getting my kids motivated for chores and schooling, but also made me feel good because of the things I'm doing right already. My favorite tip was storytelling and how telling stories about people who overcame difficult situations, or stories from my life or our family members and the lessons we've learned, or scripture stories and stories of heroes from history, how that will help build good character into my kids and connects them to the past and helps them see where they fit in and how they can be a part of it all.

[Jenny Wilcox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok book, but not quite as useful as I hoped. Lots of anecdotal ideas, not so much research or expert based stuff. Quite a bit of common sense....expose your kids to lots of things, don't overschedule them, be patient. That kind of stuff.

*read as a self-improvement book for 2016 PopSugar reading challenge

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was so quick and easy to read, with lots of helpful chapters organized in an efficient manner. The book actually outlined specific ideas and scenarios and outlined do's and don'ts. Tips for preschool age through to early teens. I'd recommend it :)

[Delani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the overall feeling of this book. Not pushing our kids too hard, making sure they are motivated to do things for the right reasons, and reminding us of the importance of relationship building. Overall, wonderful advise.

[Mariette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the information in here is not new to me, but the book has some good tangible ways to motivate and enrich your child's life. I skimmed the last few chapters, but overall there was some useful information.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good ideas and is written in a user friendly format. It was written by a teacher I believe so it is very organized and the ideas are well thought.

[Beata · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book contained several good tips; however, I felt this book was geared more for
younger kids.

[Tulsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some really good suggestions and some really good insights. While there is some information relevant for toddlers, it is really geared toward school-age children.

[Asia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight, great ideas!

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh.