My son is in 6th grade (youngest of 3) I love him to death, but I hate to say he seems somewhat unmotivated and does the bare minimum for just about any assignment or task.
He is smart, creative, great sense of humor, good friendships, well behaved, good verbal skills, reads well, and does not have problems understanding most concepts. In sports he is reasonably coordinated and ran a 2.5 mile race last year without much effort or any training, so he is capable.
He seems however, by any measure to be lazy and unwilling to make an effort at anything which does not capture his interest. Schoolwork especially, but he has his favorite subjects where he does well. I am having him observed and tested for "ADD" or other problems, but don't think that is the issue. I think he just needs to develop a better work ethic, and I am worried that this will limit his success later in life. His brothers and sisters are both tremendous workers, so it's hard to relate.
Any suggestions? Anybody have experience with instilling drive, motivation and better attitude toward work with young kids?