Practicing a musical instrument is as much a skill as reading or writing, and the guidance of a parent and the teacher are the way to guarantee a child will perfect this skill. If you've done your homework right, your music teacher will be full of suggestions and advice. Most will tell you not to push too hard, but to find indirect ways to remind budding musicians that it's time to play. Grant likes to tell her students they only have to practice every day that they eat, a comment that inevitably brings a smile to the face and provides parents an easy, funny reminder. Grant emphasizes that parents should find ways to make practice fun.
Stickers can be a fun incentive.
Sometimes Grant will give her students a piece of paper with a puzzle drawn on it. For each successful day of practice, the student gets to color in another piece of the puzzle until the paper is full. There are also board games that involve playing the instrument as part of the game. The bottom line is, some incredibly creative minds have applied themselves to this universal problem of getting a child to practice. So don't despair, and ask your teacher for help.