Inspiring Quotes for Teens and Students

There are countless ways to motivate your student to learn. You can implement a reward system, add some creative activities to the school day, or find an inspirational solution that addresses your student’s current mood or difficulties.

But as author and speaker Zig Ziglar points out, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.”

The key to maintaining motivation is to keep trying new ways to inspire your student. And an easy, effective way to provide a little inspiration each day is to read and discuss positive quotes and mantras, or motivational phrases, you repeat to yourself. Contemplating positive quotes for a few minutes daily can help students view situations in a new light and remind them to maintain a positive attitude.

You or your student can research your own quotes in books or online. Here are some good websites to check out:

• Good Reads
• Brainy Quote
• Quote Garden
• Pinterest

Get started by researching some quotes to share with your child. Once your student is familiar with positive quotes, encourage him or her to find some on his or her own. Because we all gravitate toward quotes that align with our personal beliefs and values, asking your student to find quotes is a great exercise in self-expression. When students appreciate a quote that they identify with, it can encourage them to celebrate who they are, motivating them to succeed.

After you and your student gather some quotes, it’s time to get creative. To have some fun and turn your study area into a motivational learning environment, try some of these great activities:

• Write the quote of the day or week on a whiteboard in the student’s learning space
• Use a quote to design a screensaver or computer wallpaper
• Post a quote on the door of the student’s study room using large, decorative letters
• Place a printed quote in a decorative frame
• Ask your child to create a poster or collage that represents a quote
• Bake a cake and write a short quote on top with gel icing
• Put a bunch of quotes in an empty fishbowl. Pull one out at the beginning of each day and discuss the meaning with your student
• Start a quote-based journal or scrapbook with your student. Include pictures of things the student has accomplished, and write down ways that the quote helped inspire your student in school
• Laminate a quote and glue a magnet to the back of it so you can put it on the fridge or another magnetic surface
• Send your student quotes in the mail, or ask distant family members to mail your student one of their favorite positive quotes
• Ask teachers to share quotes or a list of people who are very quotable
• See if your child’s favorite celebrity has a lot of positive quotes. Hang a poster of the celebrity and pin quotes to it
• Set up and play a game of hangman using a short quote, later explaining to your student why you chose that quote
• Present your student with a book of quotes and write a motivational quote as an inscription inside the front cover
• Pick out a motivational quote with your student at the beginning of each week. At the end of the week, list all the ways in which he or she used or was inspired by the quote
• Ask your student to research the background of a person who said a favorite quote, helping him or her identify a potential new role model or inspirational figure
• Encourage your student to brainstorm his or her own positive quotes or mantras

Remember to expose your child to new quotes often to maximize the motivational impact of these exercises.