"First comes action, then motivation, which produces more action."
Dr. David Burns, psychiatrist, in his book Feeling Good
Practicing
Student as teacher.
Let your child teach you. First the child plays, then you play. Let your student tell you what you did right and what needs to be better. This approach also develops their listening skills.
Play games.
List each type of practice activity - review, note-reading, new piece, practice spots, and other assignments - on separate pieces of paper. Let the child draw assignments from the pile and practice them.
Make repetitions a contest.
How many times can you play this perfectly? Three? Five? Ten? Fifty? Kids love to challenge themselves. Perfect practice makes perfect, even in increments of one repetition. On a chart, record the highest number of perfect repetitions under the heading "personal best" and strive for a new personal best during the next practice. Older kids may wish to challenge themselves by trying for a certain number of perfect repetitions in a row.
Give rewards.
Use a simple practice chart and mark off each day practiced with a sticker. At regular intervals, allow the child to select a small toy, or choose to do something together with you, such as read an extra book at bedtime or bake cookies. The length of time between rewards can be more or less than a week, such as every five or 10 days.
Pick the right time.
Practice time can be great one-on-one quality time. Before school, after a nap, right after dinner, or whatever works for you and your child. The key is having a consistent time when both student and parent can focus on practicing and there are no distractions from siblings or other household activity.