My first grader lacks intrinsic motivation for … basically everything. He does the bare minimum of what’s required in school, in extracurriculars, at home, etc. He is a generally happy, playful, smart and athletic kid, so any natural consequences of this “bare minimum effort” haven’t caught up with him yet. Do you have any tips or tricks to inspire him to care more? I want to avoid nagging and creating only external motivators/demotivators .
If your son is happy, playful, smart, and athletic, and nothing “bad” has happened to him yet due to his lack of effort, could it be possible that he’s just absolutely fine? Is there some other reason why you’re worried about it—some fear that he will lean too much on others, or act entitled, or something? I think this is a case where the line “parent the child who is in front of you” could apply.