From Whines to Wins

Igniting Intrinsic Motivation in Kids

March 1, 2024

In a messy room filled with scattered toys, a clash of wills unfolds. A child sits hunched over a pile of neglected flashcards.

"NO! I don't want to do this!" the child shouts. 

A tense silence hangs in the air, then the parent firmly responds. "We all have to do things we don't want to do. It's important to learn these! If you finish it I’ll give you a cookie.” 

The child retorts, “I don’t want a cookie, I don’t want to do this!”

This may be a familiar situation for you. The child does not want to participate, and the parent has not yet tapped into the child’s motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the desire to do something because it is personally satisfying. This is different from extrinsic motivation, which is driven by external rewards. Even though using extrinsic motivation is common practice, studies have shown that offering rewards for an already internally rewarding behavior reduces motivation (Levy, A., DeLeon IG., Martinez CK., et al., 2017; Warneken F. & Tomasello M., 2008; Lepper, M.R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R.E., 1973; Deci E. 1971).  A 2008 study revealed that children who were rewarded for playing with a toy they had already expressed interest in became less interested in it after being externally rewarded (Warneken F, Tomasello M, 2008). This concept is known as the overjustification effect. This occurs when an external incentive decreases a person's intrinsic motivation to perform a behavior or participate in an activity.Think about it- you love playing a sport until you join a team competitively; you enjoy trivia night with friends until they start betting on who will win; you love crocheting until you open up a business for it. 

Fostering intrinsic motivation is so important in our speech therapy sessions because when we tap into the intrinsic motivation of a child, we see an increase in their engagement which results in significant and consistent improvement towards their therapy goals. But how do we do this?

Rather than offering rewards, we ignite intrinsic motivation by giving choices over the environment and activities, selecting activities that relate to our clients on a personal level, and creating opportunities to accomplish challenges. 

People are intrinsically motivated when they can act independently, feel that their efforts matter, and gain satisfaction from becoming more skilled. They will feel proud of themselves for making a choice that is entirely theirs and feel empowered to participate. As therapists we also want to begin with success right away, whether that is by demonstrating the activity or teaching a new word. It's natural to feel more capable of achieving challenging goals when we get a taste of what it feels like to get it right! 

By following these 3 key elements, we can give children the intrinsic desire to work hard and succeed in sessions. We believe that kids will always want to do well because it feels good to do well, not because they will get a cookie. Learning how to harness this skill early in life can help build the resilience needed to reach life goals, and teach children how to bring more joy into their day-to-day activities.