Motivating a 7 year old girl?
Need Advice for motivating a 7 year old girl??
Background:
My 7 year old daughter attends a private Christian school and is in the 1st grade. She also takes private singing and piano lessons on Monday evening, group singing on Tuesday evening, and art class after school on Thursday. She is a very talented singer. In school, she is at the bottom of her class in reading and math; however, she did make the honor role (barely). She has a kind and loving heart, and is pleasant to be around.
The problem is she is not motivated for anything other than playing with her friends, talking on the phone, and watching TV; which of course we limit. It’s like pulling teeth to get her to read, practice piano and singing, or do any studying for that matter. Anything that involves work she avoids wholeheartedly.
Are we pushing her too hard? My wife and I are both educated. I didn’t do very well in school as a child, primarily because my parents were undisciplined and didn’t push me. However, I did very well in college, although non traditional…I took night classes for years and graduated at age 40 approximately 5-years ago. Although my wife works long hours as an accountant, I’m retired from the Air Force and spend a great deal of time with her to include picking her up from school, working on homework, and playing games.
I feel like I’m pushing her too hard, but want her to do well in school and life. Please give me your thoughts and experiences for motivating a 7-year old girl?