Developing Time Management Skills in Children: A Guitar Instructor’s Perspective
Developing Time Management Skills is Essential to a Musician!
As a guitar instructor, I’ve worked with many students who face the challenge of balancing schoolwork, music lessons, and other activities. While learning an instrument like the guitar brings tremendous benefits, it also requires consistent practice and focus. Time management is a skill that can greatly help children succeed—not only in music but also in school and personal growth. Here’s how parents can actively develop time management skills in their children through practical, step-by-step methods.
1. Start with Structure: Building a Consistent Routine
Children, especially those balancing several activities, need structure. A well-established routine reduces uncertainty and helps them understand that every part of their day has a designated time. This predictability helps them become more organized and less stressed (Evans & Schamberg, 2009).
How to Do It:
Create a Visual Daily Planner: For younger children, consider a color-coded or illustrated schedule. You can create a chart with blocks of time for school, homework, guitar practice, and free time. Hanging this chart somewhere visible (like on the fridge or their bedroom wall) will give them a clear picture of how their day unfolds. As they grow older, encourage them to transition to a digital planner or a calendar app like Google Calendar.
Designate Guitar Practice Time: When scheduling, try to find a consistent time each day for guitar practice. For example, right after school, before dinner, or after homework. Consistency helps build the habit of practice without the need for daily reminders.
Example:
4:00–5:00 PM: Homework
5:00–5:30 PM: Guitar practice
5:30–6:00 PM: Free time
By scheduling guitar practice at the same time daily, children come to expect it as part of their routine. Over time, this consistency removes the burden of decision-making and helps with time management.
2. Teach Time Blocking for Practice and Homework
Time blocking is a technique that involves setting aside specific periods for different tasks, allowing children to focus on one activity at a time. This method reduces the temptation to multitask, which can lead to distractions and poor time management. Research shows that children who time block are better able to manage their responsibilities and feel less overwhelmed (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2005).
How to Do It:
Start with Short Time Blocks: Younger children may have shorter attention spans, so start with 15-minute blocks for practice. As their focus improves, gradually increase this to 20 or 30 minutes. For homework, use the same method—break down larger assignments into smaller chunks of time.
Use a Timer or App: Consider using a visual timer (such as a sand timer or a digital timer on a phone) to help your child stay on track. Pomodoro timers, which break tasks into 25-minute focus periods followed by 5-minute breaks, work especially well for older children.
Time Chunking for Homework and Practice: Teach your child to "chunk" their day by working on one subject or skill at a time. For instance, guitar practice could focus on one specific aspect (like chords or fingerpicking) during each session, making progress tangible without feeling too lengthy.
Example:
15 minutes: Guitar practice on chord transitions
5-minute break
15 minutes: Homework on math
5-minute break
By breaking up tasks into smaller, focused blocks, children can maintain concentration and feel a sense of accomplishment after each completed block.
3. Incorporate Fun Breaks to Maintain Focus
Learning an instrument and managing schoolwork can be tiring, especially for young children. According to research by the American Psychological Association (2014), regular breaks improve performance and reduce cognitive fatigue. Incorporating structured, short breaks between tasks helps children stay energized and focused.
How to Do It:
Set Up Breaks After Each Time Block: Encourage your child to take a 5–10 minute break after every 20–30 minute task block. Breaks can involve physical activities like stretching, walking, or even playing a quick game. For guitar practice, these breaks could include listening to their favorite song or strumming for fun.
Break Time Rules: It’s essential that breaks are structured—breaks shouldn’t turn into extended distractions. Use a timer to signal when break time ends. Keeping break activities simple and time-bound (e.g., playing with a pet, having a snack) prevents kids from getting sidetracked.
Example:
After 20 minutes of guitar practice, allow your child a 5-minute break to dance to their favorite song. Once the break is over, they can move on to their next task or resume their practice session.
4. Help Children Set SMART Goals for Practice
SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—are essential for helping children learn how to manage time effectively. When it comes to guitar lessons, breaking larger goals (like learning a new song) into smaller steps prevents children from feeling overwhelmed and makes progress feel more attainable (Dweck, 2006). Each part of the SMART framework supports the other elements, and relevance plays a crucial role in maintaining motivation and focus.
How to Do It:
Specific: Instead of saying, “Practice guitar,” help your child define what they will practice, like “work on the first two measures of a song” or “practice G and D chords.”
Measurable: Encourage your child to track progress. For example, “I will play through these chords 10 times” or “I’ll practice for 15 minutes today.”
Achievable: Set goals that are realistic given their current skill level. For beginners, learning an entire song in one week may be too ambitious, but learning the introduction might be manageable.
Relevant: This is a key part of keeping your child motivated. The goal needs to be tied to something meaningful for them—something they care about. Make sure that their practice goals connect to their overall aspirations or personal enjoyment of the guitar. For example, if your child loves a particular song, setting a goal related to learning that song makes the process more relevant and enjoyable. Relevance could also mean tying practice to an upcoming recital or a family performance, something that has personal significance.
Time-bound: Establish a time frame for goals. “I’ll be able to play this section smoothly by the end of the week.” Deadlines help give focus and a sense of urgency, preventing procrastination and encouraging regular practice.
How Relevance Supports Other SMART Goals:
Specific and Relevant: If the goal is both specific and relevant, it helps children stay engaged. For instance, “practice the opening chords of Let It Be” is specific and relevant if your child loves that song. Connecting goals to songs or techniques that matter to them keeps practice meaningful.
Measurable and Relevant: The ability to measure progress also keeps goals relevant. If your child knows they’ll be able to play a part of their favorite song after practicing a certain number of times, this makes the practice feel worthwhile and purposeful.
Achievable and Relevant: Setting realistic goals is crucial, but making them relevant ensures they remain motivated. For example, an achievable goal might be to master a simple song. If that song is one they enjoy, the practice feels both manageable and personally rewarding.
Time-bound and Relevant: When children know they have a specific amount of time to achieve a goal that’s meaningful to them, they’re more likely to stick with it. A relevant goal might be to learn a new riff in time to show off at a family gathering or play for a school talent show. Having this personal connection adds urgency and value to the time-bound aspect.
Example:
Goal: “By Friday, I will be able to transition smoothly between the G and D chords without pauses so that I can play my favorite song more fluidly.”
This is specific (chord transitions), measurable (smoothness, no pauses), achievable (two chords), relevant (tied to playing a favorite song), and time-bound (by Friday).
Helping children set achievable, time-bound, and relevant goals not only boosts their confidence but also improves their ability to plan their practice sessions effectively.Example:
Goal: “By Friday, I will be able to transition smoothly between the G and D chords without pauses.”
Helping children set achievable, time-bound goals not only boosts their confidence but also improves their ability to plan their practice sessions effectively.
5. Incorporate Technology to Support Time Management
Technology can be a fantastic tool for helping children track their schedules and manage tasks efficiently. While it’s important to keep screen time balanced, digital tools make time management fun and interactive for children, keeping them engaged while teaching them how to plan their day.
How to Do It:
Use Task Management Tools: For older children, apps like MyHomework or Todoist can help them organize their assignments and practice sessions. They can set reminders for homework deadlines and music practice, ensuring that no task is forgotten.
Incorporate Rewards and Gamification: Many time management apps allow users to earn badges or rewards for completing tasks. For example, after a week of consistent practice, your child might unlock a digital badge or earn extra screen time.
Example:
Your child could use Forest, a productivity app that gamifies focus by growing a virtual tree while they practice or complete homework. The more focused they remain, the more their tree grows. This encourages focused time blocking and rewards them for staying on task.
6. Encourage Independence and Ownership
Teaching children to manage their time independently fosters responsibility. As they develop these skills, encourage them to take ownership of their schedule and practice routine. Research shows that when children feel a sense of control over their activities, they are more motivated and less stressed (Bandura, 1977).
How to Do It:
Involve Them in the Planning Process: Ask your child to help design their schedule. For instance, ask when they feel they work best—after school, in the morning, or before dinner. This gives them a sense of agency.
Give Them Responsibility: Once a schedule is set, allow your child to be in charge of adhering to it. You can check in to provide gentle reminders but give them space to self-manage.
Example:
Let your child decide when they want to practice guitar during the day. You might provide input, but allowing them to choose instills a sense of responsibility and independence.
Conclusion
Teaching time management to children not only benefits their musical growth but also equips them with a vital life skill. By building consistent routines, using time blocking methods, incorporating breaks, encouraging independence, and utilizing digital tools, parents can help their children effectively balance schoolwork, guitar lessons, and other activities. Over time, children will develop the independence and self-discipline needed to manage their time wisely, leading to success both in music and beyond.
References
American Psychological Association. (2014). Psychological science reveals the best way to learn and remember. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/10/learning-styles-myth
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Evans, G. W., & Schamberg, M. A. (2009). Childhood poverty, chronic stress, and adult working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(16), 6545–6549.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Kitsantas, A. (2005). Homework practices and academic achievement: The mediating role of self-efficacy and perceived responsibility beliefs. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30(4
