Encouraging a Practice Routine

Getting back into the swing of September scheduling is a great time to establish a (daily), regular practice routine for your child! I’m sure some of you have done this already but here are some things to keep in mind in order to make these regular practice times a positive part of the day for you and your child:

Timer vs. Goals:

For beginning piano students, rather than setting a timer, try to set simple practice goals: A student might play one finger power exercise, play a through a new song three times while working to correct mistakes, then review one old song, and then be done. Even if it only took five minutes, it was structured, it involved a little bit of challenge, and it helped build a habit of daily piano practice. 

As students advance through the piano lessons, you can gradually add more to their practice routine (Ideas: sight reading, playing by ear..)

Ideas for a practice session: Review good piano posture, do finger number exercises, work on a new song, review some older songs, do a Theory worksheet, play a music GAME together!

Practice Together:

Good piano practice needs guidance, especially in the early stages of a child’s music education.There are two main things you can do as a practice partner:

1: encourage your child to reach their practice time goals. 

2: make practice time challenging and fun with practice games. (https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/practice-games/ )Your job is NOT to sit beside them and tell them all the things that they are doing wrong. If you notice your child making a mistake, rather than saying, “You’ve missed that note three times in a row!” say, “Let’s play a game. I’m going to set a penny on the piano every time you play that measure correctly. When you have five pennies, you win!”If you can’t sit down next to your child during practice time, listen from nearby and check in on them often. Children love attention, especially positive attention. 

Let them know how much you appreciate how hard they are working and point out how much they are learning and improving.<3

Also, remind your child to always refer to his/her notebook from the lesson! If possible, it should be open beside them as they practice so they don't forget a song or a reminder:)

From: https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/encouraging-a-practice-routine/