Today we are using game boards in our practice. Watch the video!
I’m using the Chutes and Ladders board, but Candy Land would also work well. Get creative and you can convert almost any game into something you can use for practice.
This can quickly go down the rabbit hole of complicated. If that’s something you enjoy, embrace it and delve deep. However, it doesn’t have to be that way and today we are going to focus on 3 simple ways you can use these tools for practice.
Count the Number of Tasks You Do
This is simple. For each task, you move your marker a certain amount. This would probably work best as a long term goal and most appropriate for an older child. Make sure you have a good way to keep track of your progress in case your marker gets knocked off the board.
Count a Specific Practice Technique
This would be working on something very specific. For instance, mid book 1, violinists start changing where their fingers are placed on the fingerboard. It’s a tricky transition that needs a lot of attention and practice. You could count every time your child places their finger correctly and move their marker up.
This works well because it gets you and your child focusing on one task at a time. If other things are not quite up to standard because they are focusing so intently on getting the task correct, don’t worry about it. Everything will balance out as their new skill gets mastered.
Number of Practices
You could also use the game board for counting the number of practices. I created my own game board for this for our 100 day practice challenge course. You can get this game board and other exclusive videos and resources by
signing up for the class. Sign ups end Jan. 20th. (Sign ups are done, but you can be alerted for the next 100 Day Practice Challenge.)
The Chutes and Ladders game board would also work great for this purpose. For this type of long term goal, I like to include some sort of special goal for the end. My favorite ones are doing something special as a family. Going ice skating, bowling, rock climbing, or a family hike are all things we’ve done in the past.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how you can add in simple tools to bring joy into your practice.
Thanks for joining me on this Adventure in Suzuki Parenting and happy practicing!