If you feel that your child needs a creative hobby, one of your choices is having them learn to play an instrument. It can help them with developing their creativity and emotional intelligence. However, for them to be truly successful with it, they need support from you, their parents. Give them some encouragement through these actions.
Consider Getting Them a Teacher
It’s great if you’re a musician, and your child is taking their cue from you. But what if you’re not one, you’re not used to teaching, or you want your child to be exposed to other influences? In those cases, you might want to get in touch with a professional teacher. A good one can guide your child in the right direction. For example, if your child wants to play the violin, you can encourage them to take lessons.
Don’t Be Judgemental
You have to bear in mind that almost no one gets things right on the first few tries. There will always be mistakes, but that means that there’s so much more to learn. You might have high expectations for your child, or you might feel that your investment has to get a return somehow. But that’s not an excuse to nitpick on every mistake they make. You’re only making them scared of failing, which will be detrimental to their learning and later life. Instead, encourage them to keep trying and suggest changes when something isn’t working.
Provide Them Role Models
There are a lot of possibilities for your child when it comes to the instrument that they want to play. Role models are also a good motivator for them. With this in mind, you’d do well to expose them to many musicians who play the instrument that they chose in varying styles. Make a habit of listening to their pieces and even watching videos of their performances, if any, together. This will give them something to work toward and inspiration for when they’re feeling out of it.
Suggest Ways to Move Forward
It can be easy for your child to stay with what’s comfortable, but they’re not going to move forward if you let them do that. Suggest ways that they can do so, depending on how they’re doing currently. For example, if they only stop at playing the pieces they’re good at, you can introduce new ones that they might like. Or if your child doesn’t often practice, you can give them a schedule or rewards system you can both work with. We say suggest, and not force, as your child still has the choice in pushing through or not.
Your child will be more inclined to push through and succeed in learning to play an instrument when you’re there to support them every step of the way. Doing so helps them feel that it’s a worthwhile endeavor and motivates them to do their best. But beware of driving them too hard, or they’ll think that it’s more of a chore than a hobby. Balance is important.
