Last week our Growing Minds Hub kids went to Crankworx. And while what the athletes could do was genuinely jaw-dropping, what we were sneakily trying to teach was something else entirely: what motivation actually looks like in a human being.
Nobody forced those riders to spend years mastering something difficult, falling repeatedly, getting back up. They do it because they chose it, because they can see themselves getting better, and because they belong to something that matters to them.
That's not talent. That's conditions.
Why motivation matters more than we think
Research is consistent on this: when children are genuinely motivated, everything changes. Their curiosity deepens, they persist through difficulty, they retain what they learn, and they're more likely to experience real wellbeing and satisfaction, not just in school but across their lives.
The problem is that motivation is often treated as a personality trait. Something a child either has or doesn't. But the research tells a different story. Motivation isn't fixed. It responds to the environment around it.
The three things it actually needs
Deci and Ryan's work, applied specifically to education, identified three conditions that either build motivation or quietly erode it.
Choice. Some sense of ownership over what you're doing. Not unlimited freedom, just enough that you're not purely being acted upon.
Progress. Evidence that effort leads somewhere. Not that everything is easy, but that when you try, something moves.
Connection. Feeling like what you're doing matters, and that the people around you are interested in you, not just your output.
Go back to those athletes at Crankworx. Every one of them has all three. And it works the same way for a nine year old as it does for a world-class rider.
There's also an important distinction the research makes between doing something because it's genuinely meaningful, and doing it purely for a reward or to avoid a consequence. Both can produce results short term. But only one builds a learner who keeps going when nobody is watching.
What it looks like when it's working
It's not dramatic. It doesn't arrive all at once.
A child who used to wait to be told what to do starts asking questions. One who avoided anything hard begins to have a go. One who said "I'm not good at anything" turns out to be exceptional at something nobody thought to look for.
Our job is to build the conditions, consistently, and then get out of the way.
Growing Minds Hub is here to support children, families, and educators in Rotorua, through a one-day-a-week learning programme, individualised educational psychology support, and workshops for parents and teachers.
Want to read more? The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson is one of the most practical books out there for parents on this topic. Stixrud is a clinical neuropsychologist and it shows. Find it here.
Worth a listen. Good Inside with Dr Becky Kennedy. Practical, psychology-backed, doesn't talk down to you. Find it here.
References
Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Deci, E.L., Vallerand, R.J., Pelletier, L.G., & Ryan, R.M. (1991). Motivation and education: The self-determination perspective. Educational Psychologist, 26(3–4), 325–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.1991.9653137
Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory. Guilford Press.
Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
Stixrud, W., & Johnson, N. (2018). The Self-Driven Child. Viking.
