Free Time as Motivation

Students have busy lives. Children are dropped off at school (or daycare) often before the parents go to work. At school, they have between 6 to 8 hours of lecture, activities and projects they must do. They often have one break in the mid-morning for 15-20 minutes, when they have to have to decide between having a healthy snack or playing outside. Later, a 40-45 minute lunch break where eating is reduced to a 10 minute silent period, where children are rushed out of the auditorium to make room for the next group. Afterschool daycare has become the norm, where staff supervise constructive activities. More often than not, children must attend homework club/study periods where adults help them with their homework or projects, as parents return too late from work to be of assistance. Children aren’t reunited with their parents until 5 – 6 pm, where evening home activities may include finishing up unfinished homework, helping with chores, bathing and getting ready for the next school day. If the child is lucky, the are picked up earlier in the afternoon, shortly after school has finished, only to be carted off to sports activities, dance lessons, gymnastics, music lessons, swim practice, tutoring, martial arts…you get the idea. Whew! No wonder they are exhausted at the end of the day. With this kind of schedule, I have noticed children like to have “their own time”. A time that they can decide what they are going to do, for a specific time period. This is often the incentive I use with my middle school students. For a week as students stay on task, they earn an activity where they may choose their free time. It has become effective, motivational and successful. It is never longer than 15 minutes and they look forward to not having anyone tell them what they can do with their own time.