Intrinsic Motivation and Movement; Teaching Children What They Need Most

In the early years of life, adults play a central role in guiding a child’s development. We scaffold skills, model behaviour, and create the environments children learn within. But the long-term goal is not dependence. It is independence.

At its core, early childhood education and paediatric therapy aim to empower children with the skills, confidence, and body awareness they need to make healthy choices for themselves.

Movement plays a critical role in this process.

Children who are active are far more likely to become adults who are active. But beyond physical health, active children are often more confident, socially engaged, and intrinsically motivated. They experience success through effort, navigate challenges through their bodies, and develop a sense of agency that carries into learning and life.

Why Motivation Matters for Learning and Development

Learning does not occur through exposure alone. It requires engagement, repetition, and willingness to try. Without motivation, even the best-designed programs fall flat. Intrinsic motivation refers to doing something for its own sake. Not for praise, rewards, or avoidance of consequences, but because the activity itself is meaningful, enjoyable, or satisfying.

Movement is one of the most powerful ways to nurture intrinsic motivation in children because it:

• Provides immediate feedback

• Allows choice and exploration

• Builds mastery through experience

• Connects effort to outcome in real time

The Adult Paradox: Safety, Fear, and Participation

Research highlighted by the Australian Medical Association has shown that some school-aged children experience reduced participation in physical activity due to adult concerns around injury and safety.

While safety matters, overprotection can unintentionally limit development.

Children who lack strong movement foundations may feel unsure, fearful, or disengaged from sport and physical play later on.

Conversely, children who learn how to move safely, confidently, and efficiently are more likely to:

• Enjoy physical activity

• Persist when challenged

• Engage socially through play and sport

• Maintain participation over time

  
  

The goal is not to remove challenge. It is to teach children how to meet it.

Movement as a Pathway to Intrinsic Motivation

To understand motivation more deeply, we can borrow from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as explored in early childhood literature, and apply it specifically to movement and development.

When movement programs meet these core needs, motivation grows naturally.

Below is a movement-informed extension of this framework.

1. Healthy Lifestyle - Role Modelling and Habits

Children learn first and foremost through imitation. The adults around them are their primary reference point for what is normal, safe, and valuable. When educators, therapists, and families model movement as part of daily life, children internalise this as a healthy habit rather than a chore.

Importantly, community-based, non-competitive, engaging movement programs give children opportunities to build skills regardless of their home environment, supporting equity in development.

2. Security and Nurturing - Predictability Builds Confidence

Children feel safe when their world is predictable.

Routines in movement sessions provide:

• A sense of control

• Reduced anxiety

• Increased willingness to try new things

  
  

When novelty is layered within a familiar structure, children become more confident risk-takers. Supportive language, encouragement, and recognition of effort create a nurturing environment where repetition feels enjoyable rather than demanding.

Repetition is essential for development, but it only happens when the experience feels emotionally safe.

3. Love and Social Belonging - Learning Through Connection

Children learn through shared experience.

Movement offers a natural platform for:

• Cooperation

• Communication

• Problem-solving

• Emotional regulation

  
  

Even children who initially resist participation benefit from observation. Watching peers builds familiarity and reduces fear. Over time, this sense of belonging increases engagement and commitment.

When movement activities incorporate storytelling, imaginative play, and teamwork, children develop not only motor skills but also confidence in themselves and others.

4. Recognition and Support - Building Intrinsic Motivation

Children rely on feedback to understand their progress.

Recognition of effort, persistence, and small achievements strengthens confidence and motivation. Positive reinforcement encourages children to keep trying, especially when tasks feel difficult.

Harsh discipline or fear-based feedback can undermine resilience, leading to avoidance and anxiety. In contrast, supportive feedback builds intrinsic motivation, the desire to engage simply because the experience feels rewarding.

5. Providing Challenges - Supporting Self-Actualisation

At the highest level, children seek opportunities to grow.

The role of educators and carers is not to push children, but to create environments where challenge feels achievable and meaningful.

Challenge works best when it is:

• Matched to ability

• Aligned with interests

• Framed through imagination and play

  
  

A child is far more motivated to “surf”, “climb a mountain”, or “dance like a performer” than to complete isolated exercises. When children feel capable and interested, effort becomes voluntary.

This is where intrinsic motivation lives.

The Takeaway for Educators and Therapists

Movement is not just physical development.

It is emotional, social, cognitive, and motivational development.

When we:

• Set achievable goals

• Guide children through challenges

• Recognise effort

• Create safe, engaging environments

  
  

We are not just teaching children how to move.

We are teaching them how to persist, self-regulate, and believe in their own capability.

Supporting children starts with supporting the adults who guide them.

When educators are empowered with the right tools, children flourish.