Practicing Tips for Parents With Practice Pals

  • *** Practice every day! Decide on a time of day, and make it a habit to practice every day.
  • Whenever possible, practice with your child, or be available to help and encourage when needed.
  • Try to break down your child's practicing into small steps. You accomplish more in your practice sessions by breaking things down into smaller steps. In addition, the more items on your practice chart, the more interesting your scene will be.
  • Practice sections of any songs they are working on before playing the entire song. Go over any trouble spots first. Simply playing through a song every day is not a very effective way to practice.
  • If there are fewer items on your practicing chart, or if there are items that require additional attention, you may repeat numbers. For example, you might choose two pieces and write the number "3" on both of them.
  • You can offer to let your child choose additional pieces from the side pocket as an extra incentive. For example, let them choose an extra fish for their underwater scene if they concentrate well through an entire song, rather than racing through a song.
  • You might want to offer a reward for completing the weekly practice chart. For example, you may offer to take your child to the local pet store to see the fish when all of the days on the practice chart have been checked off, or go out for ice cream. Scroll down for additional ideas...
  • It is a good idea to save your "Practice Pals" system for practicing only. If you allow your child to play with it as a toy, he/she may become bored with it, or at least will not be as excited to use it for practicing.
  • *Note: There are seven days listed. If your child does not practice on his/her lesson day, simply check it off anyway.

    • Here are some additional ideas for weekly incentives for checking off all of the days on the Practice Chart

  • Make a real sundae with your child
  • Go out for ice cream
  • Try your hand at home-made ice cream
  • Watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory together
  • Take ice cream (or other treat) to share with someone in the hospital
  • Visit a local pet store or humane society to look at the pets
  • Take someone's dog for a walk with your child
  • Get a book from the library on dogs
  • Read a funny pet story
  • Rent or borrow an animal-related movie and watch it together
  • Find a local dog agility competition and go watch the real thing
  • Visit with some pets at your local humane society
  • Visit a local aquarium
  • Find interesting websites with your child about fish, dolphins or sharks
  • Make a play fish pond and "go fishing"
  • Go swimming together
  • Take a picnic to the park and pretend to be at the beach
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