Title: Building Intrinsic Motivation in Young Children: A Guide

TLDR: This guide provides research-backed strategies for parents to nurture a child's natural love of learning. It emphasizes preserving a child's innate curiosity, using process-focused praise over outcome-based praise, avoiding the overuse of external rewards, following the child's interests, and creating structured choices to foster autonomy. The goal is to build resilient, self-directed learners by focusing on the three core psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Key Concepts:
- Intrinsic Motivation: The drive to engage in an activity for its inherent satisfaction, based on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
- The Reward Paradox: External rewards (stickers, treats) can undermine a child's long-term interest in an activity by shifting focus from mastery to performance.
- Process-Focused Language: Praising effort, strategy, and persistence (e.g., "You worked hard on that") is more effective for building resilience than praising innate ability (e.g., "You're so smart!").
- Optimal Challenge: Activities should be in the "Goldilocks Zone"—not too easy (boring) and not too hard (frustrating)—to maintain engagement.
- Choice Within Structure: Providing meaningful options within safe boundaries gives children a sense of control and ownership over their learning.
- Motivation-Building Technology: High-quality educational apps should encourage open-ended exploration and provide natural feedback without relying on points or external reward systems.