Andrea and I have shared many practice incentives on the blog. Today’s incentive is the simplest we’ve shared to date… and it also might be the most effective! Even if many of your students are already on break, simply email today’s single page incentive and be amazed at their progress when they return to lessons in January.
Because you’re probably run off your feet, I am going to keep today’s post short and sweet! If you are worried that the coming holidays will mean forgotten piano books and dusty pianos, then our Christmas Coloring Challenge might be just what you need to keep your kids practicing!
A Christmas Coloring Challenge For Your Piano Students
The Christmas Coloring Challenge described below works best for students between the ages of five and ten, but coloring is all the rage these days… so go ahead and use it with your teen piano students as well! Here is how it works:
- Send home (or email) our Christmas Coloring Challenge with your piano students.
- Have them complete each of the tasks described in the left sidebar.
- Every time they complete a task, they color the numbered sections of the drawing according to the star beside the task completed.
- For example, if your students complete the task beside the dark brown star containing the number “1”, they use a brown marker to color all sections on the drawing labeled with the number “1”.
- Instruct your students to bring the completed drawing to their first lessons following the holiday break and reward them with a special prize/display them in your studio etc.
Susan says
Some good ideas but you’d have to be VERY careful about who to give this to (or change a couple of the challenges).
Andrea says
Feel free to change as needed Susan 🙂 It’s not editable, but you could cut it out and paste it to a new sheet of tasks that suited your students.
Elena says
This is just wonderful!!! I might change a few of the challenges because my kids are just starting but this is just what I needed as an inspiration!!! Thank you so much!!
Andria says
Elena, do you just cross out the printed directions then? I like the artwork and layout so well that I’m reluctant to make the changes, but I, too, need different ones for some students. I wish the sheet were edit-able.
Andrea says
Andria – you could simply cut the side off and paste it to a new set of your own directions. We can’t make an editable version as we had to purchase a commercial license on the artwork. We do our best to make it as useful as we can for as many piano students as we can, but we know we can’t make it perfect for absolutely everyone 🙂
Chelsea says
Do you have a non-Christmas practice incentive like this? I have one little student who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, but I can see her doing fun things like this! Thanks!
Andrea says
Hi Chelsea – not at the moment but we will likely share more of these in the spring 🙂
Mary Gray says
Perfect, Andrea! My younger (and perhaps some older) students will really enjoy this surprise. I’m sending it next week, since our last lesson for December is tomorrow.
Andrea says
Hi Mary – wonderful! Yes, I think it will be a great surprise to get by email. I’m sending mine next week too as a “hey… are your piano books out of your music bag yet?” reminder 😉
Maria Laura Tumbeiro says
It’s perfect!! Thank you so much! it will surely keep the kids happily connected to the piano activies throught the holydays 🙂
Andrea says
You’re welcome Maria! Hope it is fun for them 🙂
Melissa says
I keep a rack outside my studio for handouts so I will add this to it! Thank you! I also live in a culturally diverse area so many of my students do not celebrate Christmas. So I keep a mix of winter (snowman, polar bears, penguins, snowflakes) activities and handouts available too. Even if all my students don’t do all the handouts or activities, they see how FUN music is on and off the bench. Great job guys…thanks for all the freebies this month!
Andrea says
You’re welcome Melissa! We hope all of the printables made your December life a little easier 🙂
Louise says
I’m a little uncertain about Why they would ” gift wrap” their piano piece
Before playing it by memory. Is that so the students don’t see it? What would they do with it after it’s gift wrapped?
But what a great idea this is, as usual thank you!
Andrea says
It’s just for fun 🙂 If they “gift wrap” it they can’t peek! I’ve always found that if you capture their imagination or make something into a game you have much more success with young children. Kids love wrapping things (and unwrapping!) if you just say “play it from memory” it’s not nearly as fun 😉
Mary says
Love your ideas. Really will get students enthused. Your activity pages are so well designed. Do you have a specific program that you use?
Andrea says
Hi Mary – we just “use” Trevor! He’s the Graphic Designer for all of our PianoBookClub books, PianoGameClub games and all of the shareables on the bog 🙂 We work with some awesome artists from all over the world and he puts it all together 🙂