By now your family’s schedule is in place. Surely there are cancelled games and last minute birthday parties, but you are organized enough to make that work. The days are about to get shorter which means a little more “inside the house” time. This is the perfect time to encourage your children to get in a little more practice at the piano.

Getting into the habit of practicing is half the challenge. Every day, even a few minutes, is better than a crash course the night before the lesson. Playing the piano is a physical exercise. Your fingers have to get in shape.

Parents have told me that they have many different ways to encourage their children to practice. Some play first thing in the morning and others right before bed. Some set a timer while others have their children play each piece a certain number of times. There is no “right” way. The only sure thing is… practice makes perfect … or at least more perfect.

However you fit practicing into the daily schedule, there are three pretty easy ideas you can implement when encouraging your child to practice.

1. Remind your child to practice. Truly they forget. Make your reminder as positive as you can.
2.  Listen to them play. You don’t have to sit right there, but they need to know you were paying attention.
3.  Say something encouraging after they play. “That is sounding better” “Nice work” “I like that song”

Remember, learning how to “play” an instrument is hard work. It is physically and intellectually challenging. However, once you get into the habit, it is a whole lot of fun.