If you are a teacher with a very wriggly student, or a parent with a wriggly practiser, you may find Practice time cards helpful.
Practice time cards help develop executive function skills in beginner to intermediate students and can be used with any instrument. They can be particularly helpful for students who find it difficult to concentrate and stay on task, as well as for older students (7/8 years +) who are seeking more independence in all areas of their lives.
Practice time cards give the student a measure of control over what they are doing, and help them to recognise when they are feeling frustrated, when they are not concentrating, and when they need a break. The cards also help develop organisation skills and emotional regulation.
Each card represents a way that the student can control what happens in the practice session (or lesson). The idea is to choose only a few cards - two or three is sufficient. No more than four or you will likely spend the entire practice session on a break!!
You can also use this idea to teach students about consequences by making each card worth something (like a chocolate button, small coin, token or sticker). At the beginning of the session the student gets as many tokens as practice time cards. The student then has to "pay" to use a card by giving up a token. So, if they start with three practice time cards and three stickers, if they choose to use one card they have to give up one sticker. At the end of the session they can keep any tokens they haven't given up.
Make sure you explain the rules very clearly before beginning to avoid disappointment, confusion and melt downs!
I've also included a practice time planning board to help develop organisation and prioritisation skills, as well as a 21 days of practice chart to help with motivation.
I recently did a 100 days of practice challenge in my studio and was absolutely stunned by how many students took part and completed the challenge!
Download your Practice time cards, practice planning board, and 21 days of practice chart here.
Happy practising!
Sarah
xx
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