Motivation Activities for Teens: The Drive Within Us
This session includes motivation activities for students, helping middle and high school students understand what drives them and why motivation can fade partway toward a goal. They explore the difference between intrinsic motivation, which comes from the satisfaction a task itself provides, and extrinsic motivation, which comes from an outside reward. Through discussion and a quick game where they weigh responses to real situations, students practice noticing what fuels their own follow-through and how to keep moving when a goal feels overwhelming.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Executive Functioning
- Grade level
- Middle & High School
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video lessonMotivation: The Drive Within Us
In this video lesson, students learn the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and how to stay motivated by setting SMART goals, breaking goals into smaller steps, and using a growth mindset.
- Extension activity
Motivation The Drive Within Us Discuss
In this debate activity, students split into two teams to argue whether intrinsic or extrinsic motivation is more powerful, building an opening statement and three supporting arguments.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: 4-7-8 Breathing2:13
- Video: Obstacles into Opportunities Visualization1:19
- Video: Yoga Pose Library
Session Opener
Guiding Question: What makes someone lose motivation toward a goal?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned what motivation is and how it drives them toward their goals, including the difference between doing something because it feels rewarding and doing it for an outside result. They practiced setting SMART goals and breaking a long-term goal into smaller parts. They also looked at what can weaken motivation, like a far-off deadline, so they could plan around those moments.
Key Terms
- Intrinsic Motivation
- When you do something because it feels enjoyable or rewarding on its own, not because of a grade, prize, or punishment. The drive comes from inside you.
- Extrinsic Motivation
- Doing something because of an outside reward or to avoid a consequence, like a grade, a prize, or getting in trouble. It tends to push you through a task in the short term.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
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Executive Functioning
Given a multi-step task, learner will use at least one self-selected organizational strategy (e.g., visual planner, breaking the task into steps, visual timer) to initiate and work through the task with decreasing adult support in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the classroom, when a student faces a big task, try asking them to name one small first step they could finish today. Reaching that smaller step early can keep their motivation going.
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More Self-Regulation Activities
Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on The Drive Within Us is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for middle and high school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Motivation: The Drive Within Us, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Motivation The Drive Within Us Discuss.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, executive functioning.
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