As a musician I learned the value of practicing every day, especially those musical passages that were difficult. It wasn’t just about building skill, but also muscle memory. The daily grind of teaching my fingers where to go for each passage of music eventually became fluid playing because my fingers “knew” what they were supposed to do. It was so important to go slow and be accurate in the beginning so my fingers would learn the correct pattern. If I went too fast and kept messing up then that is the pattern my fingers would learn. This idea of practicing every day and laying a good foundation can really help the child who struggles in school. Some children need the consistency of practicing skills everyday to build that muscle memory in their brain. Some students need to go back to basics to retrain their brain from the bad habits they have learned from rushing to learn a skill before mastering the foundations. It takes daily practice and it doesn’t have to be long. A tutor can help you learn what skills to target with your child and what exercises to practice daily. Ultimately it’s the day in and day out of targeted practice for short periods of time to get the brain muscles trained. Start with what your child knows and can have success with, and then build from there. It takes time and can be frustratingly slow, but daily practice builds mind strength and endurance. It’s a marathon working with a child who struggles academically, and they need lots of cheering on, but practice is key to finishing the race.
Photo by Brett Jordon via Unsplash
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