What Helps Us Move?
Imagine this…you get into your car, turn the key, and pull onto the road. At first, you move slowly, then faster. You choose a direction, find your lane, and feel the ease of forward motion. Then—without warning—the momentum fades, your engine strains, and all of a sudden you stall. In that moment, the questions begin. What changed? Why did this stop working? How do I get moving again?
This moment is much like a child’s motivation. A child can begin something with excitement and confidence—only to slow, struggle, or stop altogether. Not because something is wrong, but because something has shifted.
Across Acton Academy campuses around the world—no matter the country, culture, or language—parents return to the same heartfelt question:
How do I motivate my child?
It’s comforting to know this question isn’t unique to one school or one family. And yet, the answer can feel both relieving and unsettling. Motivation isn’t something we can create for a child, it’s something we make space for.
This week, learners didn’t just talk about physics—they felt it. They built cars with their own hands and watched what happened when wheels spun, axles stuck, and designs either carried them forward or brought them to a stop. Curiosity led the way. When something didn’t work, learners wanted to know why. When a small change made a difference, they wanted to try again. Motivation wasn’t something added from the outside. It emerged naturally because the work mattered to them.
At the end of the week learners reflected and were asked the question: What helped you move forward and what slowed you down?
“We had momentum when we trusted each other.”
“We slowed down when we couldn’t agree, we sped up when we all had jobs and actually communicated.”
“Talking definitely helped move us forward.”
Maria Montessori believed that curiosity is the true engine of learning. When children are interested, they move. When interest fades, it is rarely because learning is finished—it is because the conditions have changed. The role of the adult is not to push harder, but to prepare an environment where curiosity can reawaken. This is what we see, again and again, in our studios.
Motivation looks different for every learner, and it changes over time. Sometimes it comes from the work itself, sometimes from peers, sometimes from a shared goal, a clear deadline, or the thrill of seeing an idea come to life.
At home, I see this truth play out every day. My daughter has always been motivated by being first. It doesn’t matter what the task is—if there is a chance to be first, momentum appears immediately. My son needs something entirely different. He needs a model, to watch. Once he feels safe and confident, he’s all in. The conditions matter. For some children, a time constraint is defeating while for others the thrill of a countdown creates hustle. What works one day may fall flat the next.
Like parents everywhere, we are all learning as we go—and so are our children, listening closely to their own inner signals. Perhaps our role isn’t to push harder when motivation fades, but to pause and observe. To notice what has changed, to adjust the environment and to make space for curiosity, confidence, and connection to return.
As you head into the week ahead, I invite you to try on an observer’s lens—not to fix, but to notice.
When motivation feels strong, you might ask: What conditions are helping right now? Who is nearby? What feels meaningful?
When momentum fades, you might wonder: What changed? Is there friction, fatigue, or simply a need for a new path?
There is no single answer, and no strategy that works forever. But curiosity—yours and your child’s—has a way of opening doors. Sometimes, simply noticing is the first step toward movement.