No Your Kid Doesn't Want to Practice. Why Would They?
You want your kid to develop a lifelong love of music. But what if your child shows little interest or motivation to practice?
I hear complaints like these from parents all the time: “My kid just doesn’t practice,” “I tell him to practice, but he doesn’t,” or “She knows she needs to practice, but I never see her do it.”
These complaints are real. These people are real. But these situations are not final.
My answer to these complaints is, “OF COURSE THEY DON’T WANT TO PRACTICE." Kids are kids. They rarely understand long-term benefits.
There are some things that will help though:
Parental Involvement
An Engaging Teacher.
If you have both, then your kid will be more likely to practice. And, even they don't keep up with the instrument, they will have a good realtionship with music.
An engaging teacher can spark your child's interest in music and the instrument. They are the leader on their path to musical enlightenment. So make sure they have a good teacher and your kid likes them.
Parental involvement is the biggest factor though. Even without an engaging teacher, having them practice is the key to success. You are the difference maker.
So how can you help your kid practice without forcing it?
Find out why they don't want to practice. Maybe they're bored, frustrated, or overwhelmed by the material. Maybe they have other interests or hobbies that compete for their attention. Maybe they don't like the teacher or the style of music. Try to understand their perspective and address the root cause of their reluctance.
Practice with them. Be a part of kids musical education. Younger kids 4-8 need this. They’d rather be playing with legos or barbies than sitting down playing music. You need to help them and show them how cool this instrument is. Celebrate their achievements and provide constructive feedback.
Have them practice anyways. This sounds simpler than it is, but it is easier than you might think. Again your involvement is key. When I was learning piano, my mom said that I had to practice 30 minutes every single day. She would say, “O.K. it’s time to practice.” Yes, I would go and practice not of my own volition, but the important thing is I PRACTICED. My mom set up a routine of practicing where without her involvement, I wouldn’t have. She kept me progressing.
Set achievable goals. Practicing for 30 minutes every day was hard for me though. I recommend parents and students start small with 5-10 minutes per day. The important part is to create a habit. Make the practice time manageable and the goals small. It could be something like making one chord sound good. Or it could be playing through the song one time without stopping. Nothing has to be perfect. But, the goals have to be achievable.
Create a Reward System. Like everyone else in the world, kids get motivated by incentives. There have been parents that didn’t allow their kid to do their favorite thing until they practiced. This motivated them to practice daily. It created a habit of daily practice.
Encourage them to connect with others. Playing music can be more rewarding when you share it with others. You can encourage your child to join a band, a club, or get their friends to learn instruments too. Show them the music you love. Find out what they like. Expose them to live music so they can see what is possible. Their teacher should show them this too, but it's you who do the heavy lifting outside of the lesson.
It’s not rocket science, but it is work. It’s work on your part as a parent to take the time to do these things. Create a routine and reward system. Know what your child is doing on the instrument and get involved with their progress.
You have the power. You are the difference maker both in music lessons and in the rest of your kid’s life. Be that difference maker and watch your kid succeed on the guitar.
