What to do if your child hates music lessons

Sometimes it’s the parents’ idea, other times the child’s own wish: horse riding lessons or football training, for instance, or maybe learning to play the piano or singing in a choir. But what if the child suddenly loses interest or practices only reluctantly?

“A child’s leisure time activities should above all be fun and a welcome change from the everyday stress of school or creche,” says parenting expert – and author – Danielle Graf, a mother of two. Ideally, she notes, a hobby will help the child to develop new skills, improve physical fitness or make a lot of friends.

“This works well in the long term only when the child is motivated,” Graf says, adding that an activity that becomes a chore isn’t rewarding, but a burden. Since kids are stressed enough as it is, “it’s not a good idea to pressure them to do something they don’t like.”

If, over an extended period of time, the child shows a lack of enjoyment or enthusiasm for an activity that parents have pushed, Graf advises that they simply let it go.

The child will certainly find another activity more to his or her liking, she says, “even if it’s ‘only’ playing with friends, which itself is very beneficial to the child’s development”. – dpa