Self-motivation is a skill
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EmailDid you know self-motivation is a skill youth can develop through 4-H? It’s true! Discover skills and processing questions related to self-motivation.
Michigan State University Extension 4-H volunteers help youth reach their full potential by teaching life skills. Many of the life skills that members gain through their 4-H participation are identified in the Iowa State University Targeting Life Skills Model. This resource is for 4-H volunteers to use with 4-H members to help connect life skills learned through their 4-H projects to real-life experiences. Through the provided age-appropriate discussion questions, volunteers can help youth connect their hands-on 4-H experiences with life skills learned and how to apply them to real life situations.
Did you know self-motivation is a skill youth can develop by being a part of a 4-H youth development program? It’s true! As youth develop the skill of self-motivation, they may find themselves able to make the needed effort to carry out a task or plan by finding a personal will to take action. Self-motivation includes:
- Inspiring oneself to make the necessary effort
- Taking initiative or acting on the necessary steps to begin or follow through with a plan or task
- Self-starting, which often means working independently or with little supervision
- Perseverance
4-H youth development programs specialize in creating opportunities for youth that are age-appropriate. This means that children and youth develop at different rates and programs and skill development opportunities will match a child’s age with their emotional and physical abilities. As adapted by the Iowa State University Targeting Life Skills Training Manual, when developing the skill of self-motivation, the following are guidelines for age appropriate skills:
Ages 5-8
- Learns about time and being on time
- Is willing to make multiple attempts to master a task
Ages 9-11
- Takes responsibility for meeting deadlines
- Spends time on tasks wisely with adult encouragement
- Begins to break tasks into steps or parts for easier completion with adult support
- Is eager to try new things
Ages 12-14
- Starts to become self-directed
- Works and completes projects independently
- Allocates time appropriately among tasks and usually meets deadlines
Ages 15-19
- Organizes several tasks into sequential segments and allocates needed time to each
- Establishes own deadlines and meets them
- Is able to prioritize tasks
- Uses time responsibly
4-H volunteers also utilize the Missouri 4-H Experiential Learning Model and Processing Questions to help the youth they work with process and think about the skills they are learning in their 4-H projects. Suggested age-appropriate processing questions relate to the skill of self-motivation include:
5- to 8-year-olds
- What help did you get?
- What are some ways you like to learn?
9- to 11-year-olds
- What would you do differently if you conducted this activity?
- What did you learn?
12- to 14-year-olds
- What did you learn about making decisions?
- What did you learn by observations?
15- to 19-year-olds
- Why is learning with others sometimes more fun than learning alone?
- Why is it important to have plenty of information before making decisions?
Read other articles about important life skills learned in 4-H, including: Wise use of resources is a skill and Nurturing relationships is a skill.
