Games are never out of season in Suzuki violin practice. The games below are fun and you can schedule as a part of your daily practice with your child. Or if you are a teacher you can also pick one of the ideas and plan a group activity around it.

Consider having a treasure hunt with your child from to time as a part of your Suzuki violin practice. Treasure hunts are excellent way to practice review of old pieces. Kids absolutely love them. They will help bring back the enthusiasm for home practice. They can also be used a s a tool for reinforcing a technique and repeating it many times in a fun way.

Treasure Music Hunt

Tape a small piece of paper on the back of a candy with different pieces or exercised you child is expected to practice. The paper may give your child challenges such as “Play Twinkle twice with a straight bow”,”Fix your best bow hold and show it to dad”, etc.

If your child is at the pre-Twinkle stage then you can ask them to fix their feet, show a good rest position, clap a rhythm, etc.

You may also chose to switch the music assignment with some that build character “Say thank you for having…” “Write on the schedule how many times you would practice tomorrow”, etc.

Hide the “treasures” in different places around the house
Have your child to go around the house and search for the treasures. They can move on to search for the next only if they have completed each music challenge on the piece of paper.

Update: I just uploaded new Suzuki violin practice cards with a 7 day practice challenge. My students absolutely love them! You can use the cards for a treasure hunt game to hide around the house. Or simply use them as a separate practice game. They will also be a good fit for the instrument case treasure Suzuki game we will discuss in a minute. Check them out here!

To make the game more fun:

Put the first one in their violin case and start the search there. It will help make them “open their instruments”.
If you are used to practice in the mornings, have your child find a “treasure” the first thing they wake up and spend the morning looking for the rest. The treasures could be hidden from the bed to the kitchen table leading the way to breakfast!
If your child practices in the evening, then put the first assignment right next to their desert on the table. Then pout one right next to the sink (perhaps asking them to wash their dish) then have your child search until they eventually end up in their bed.
You could surprise your child by putting a treat in their case without telling them. Have them figure out the “rules of the game” by leaving small hints.

Instrument Case Treasure

(for reluctant learners)

Put a small “treasure” inside or next to your child’s violin case each morning. The treasure could be a note of appreciation to your child, a favorite toy, a music recording, a piece of candy, etc. Tell your child that every day they wake up, they need to go and see what treasure might be hidden in their case. Then tell them that they need to “appreciate their instrument back” by playing something. Give them a small and very specific assignment they need to do when they find what’s inside the case (one review piece, a scale, few bow holds, etc.).

Eventually you may tell your child that they would find a treasure only on certain days but they need to check every day.

If you have a reluctant learner, this game will make your child think of opening their instrument case as an activity that brings fun. It will make them see the process of opening their instrument as an adventure.

Keep in Mind: Keep the game fun! Don’t turn it into bribery! Never say if…then I will…Read more about playing games without conditioning your child in this article.

Be Patient: Stay positive even if you don’t see results right away. Sometimes children do not reach their goal simply because of lack of patience in the expectations.

Remember: Stick with the rules! If you have asked you child to play one piece, then expect to hear only one piece! Don’t be impatient by demanding more and changing the rules that you have set for your child! If you have a reluctant learner, the more you demand, the less they would want to do it. Less is more in this case.

Result: If you have done this game for awhile, your child will start opening their case and playing a bit each morning simply because you have helped them developed the habit of doing it!

Ready Resources and Products for Home Games

You want to play a game with your child but you are way to busy to be creative and start making different games. If this is the case we have a great solution for you! Here are some ready products which you can use for home practice games! What are they? Ready Suzuki violin practice task cards with different themes and assignments. They fall in two categories. The first one has task cards that students can use in any level and are lots of fun! The second category contains specific review cards from the different books and the names of the pieces the kids need to review. See some of them below!