10 Tips to Fire your Kids Up for #MarchMotivation

It's March, and the kids are ready for spring break, but when they come back, will they be reinvigorated about school?  Will they be fired up for learning your content?  Will they be running into the building or counting down the minutes until they can run back out of it?  Well, that depends on the excitement that each one of us brings to the table.  

Springtime is about new growth.  It is about change and rebirth.  We mustn't forget that our students get excited for learning when our lessons bring changes that engage as well as motivate.  This month, I want to challenge you to bring #MarchMotivation into your classroom.  All it is is a motivational tool to bring excitement for learning into the classroom.  It's a theme to inspire kids to give their best every day.

10 Tips for #MarchMotivation

1. Review your expectations for behavior and learning.  Students need a refresher on this when they return from any break, especially spring break.  Be sure to address behaviors that have been lacking in the past month.
2. Set an academic goal for the next month.  It may be for standardized testing or raising your score on the next test or performing well at the next big competition.  When students are presented with a goal for learning, they are more inclined to meet the goal.
3. Start a Countdown - How many school days do we have to reach our academic goal, or how many days do we have to get ready for the big test?  Post a countdown on the board, and build excitement about the fact that the kids are going to prove to the world how awesome they are academically.
4. Have an academic competition where students or groups can compete for the most growth in the next month.
5. Incorporate a reward or privilege system for overachievement.  Students will surpass expectations if they know there's something in it for them.
6. Tweet / Instagram or Facebook Awesomeness - Most students get pretty jazzed when they make it into your social media space.  When they amaze you, tweet it out.
7. Positive Parent Contact - Parents will join into your #MarchMotivation if you call them to report that their kid did a fantastic job in class for the day.
8. Race to 100 (Click Here) - A tool to challenge and reward students and the class for exhibiting outstanding learning behaviors.
9. Multiplication Rock Star Competition (Click Here) - A fun game to accelerate memorization of math facts.  This can be easily adapted to any concept that you want students to develop automaticity.
10. iMovie Motivation (Click Here) - Use iMovie to make 50 second videos of the awesome learning & awesome kids in your classroom and share it via social media.

March is here, and the kids are ready for summer.  Don't miss your opportunity to motivate and inspire your students to maximize their learning.  The excitement that you build for learning could, at the most, change a student's life, and at the least, give all of them a spring that they will never forget.