So, your child has been taking piano for a while now. He was doing great but he seems to have lost motivation. Practicing is a chore. And he just doesn’t seem to be progressing. Well, don’t give up. Sometimes, a child just needs the right motivation or push in the right direction. Here’s four tips to help your child learn the piano:

#1 Chocolate chips

It’s amazing what a kid will do for something sweet. As we’re learning a new piece, it takes a lot of repetition to learn even one measure. So, when my son gets overwhelmed, I line up a row of chocolate chips along the piano. Each time he learns a new measure, he gets a chocolate chip. He wants the chocolate enough that learning a few measures isn’t a big deal. Plus it gets his mind off of how hard it is. You can also use M&Ms, Skittles, Mike & Ikes.

chocolate chips, piano keys — Chocolate chips waiting to be eaten by my son when he practices the piano.

#2 Cheat sheet

It takes a long time to master the grand staff and recognize notes on a piece of music. That’s why it doesn’t hurt to have a cheat sheet taped to the piano. My favorite is “EVERY BOY DOES FINE” Each word corresponds to the name of the note on the lines of the Treble clef. There is a clever phrase for every succession of spaces and lines on the grand staff. Here’s a FREE PRINTABLE- Grand Staff cheat sheet.

cheat sheet, piano — Our Grand Staff Cheat Sheet taped to our piano.

#3 Piano stickers

Every note on the keyboard corresponds with a written note on the music. But sometimes it is hard for kids to make that direct correlation. That’s why I bought these awesome piano stickers. It shows my son where each note belongs on the Grand Staff and the piano keyboard in one location. My son started learning his notes so much faster once I put those stickers on. It was a simple thing that made a big difference.

stickers, piano, notes — Piano stickers for white keys.

#4 Metronome

I have played the piano for 27 years and I still need to use a metronome sometimes. All good pianists use them. For those of you who don’t know what a metronome is, it is a device that produces an audible sound based on the tempo of the piano piece. If you child is having a time with counting or staying with the tempo, just pull out a metronome. If you don’t want to spend money on one, just download a free metronome app on your phone. I use Metronome Beats and it works great!