Should you make your kids learn piano at a young age?

1. 81

   ezhangposted 12 years ago

   Should you make your kids learn piano at a young age?
   
   I know a lot of parents make their young children take a lot of extra curricular activities (swimming, piano, martial arts, etc). Is this really okay, or does this put too much stress on the children?
   
   

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2. 81

   pstraubie48posted 12 years ago

   Definitely not. I do not subscribe to the theory of 'making' kids do anything. If they show an interest in an instrument early on, then you can encourage and cultivate it. Forcing your preference for a musical instrument on a child often produces undesired results.
   I learned to play the piano at a young age; I was not forced to do so but I was encouraged vigorously to do so. I really hated my lessons because the lady stood by the piano as I attempted to learn. Every time I hit the wrong key, she kit my knuckles with the edge side of a ruler...OUUUUUUUUCCCCHHHH.

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3. 60

   Damiendarbyposted 12 years ago

   I'm not sure one should "make" or "force" their children to do or learn anything. I'm of the school of thought that believes a parent should bide their time; pay attention while being sure to expose the child to plenty of varying things. Sooner or later they will show interest in something, and this is the opportunity to make the study readily available.
   
   Lessons can be expensive. If my daughter wants to learn an instrument, my approach will be hiring professionals to teach her specific songs that she likes until she masters them vs. traditional theory/fingering instruction.
   
   Children should be a part of something, a team of some sort, to learn about human relationships, competition, the glory of winning and the sour tastes of defeat. My mom just went with my flow and things turned out...meh...decently. Cheers!

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4. 61

   bmukherjiiposted 12 years ago

   Being a parent it is our responsibility to understand our children's knack on extra curricular activities. If a parent can not recognize their child's talent properly, and guide him in a wrong way, then it could lead to tremendous stress. But if the child has special inclination towards music, sports, painting or anything else it should be nurtured from a very early age.

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5. 0

   Starmom41posted 11 years ago

   Nope, I believe any extracurricular activities should be the kids' own decision.  A child isn't really going to benefit from it if he's pressured/forced into it.

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6. 81

   Moon Daisyposted 11 years ago

   No, I also don't believe in parents making their child take any activities that they don't want to do.  They're not going to enjoy it, they probably won't want to practise (and this is bound to cause major rows), and you're going to get an unhappy and stressed out child.  Much better to see where the child's interests lie and see if they'd like to pursue an activity related to their interests.  That's the way that they will get true joy out of the activities that they do.
   
   I also think it's the case that too many after school activities can be bad, as they will exhaust the child.  And so sometimes you have the opposite issue; trying to limit the number of after-school activities for an enthusiastic child!  It's sometimes difficult to get the balance right.

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7. 61

   DreamyJadedChickposted 11 years ago

   No it is not okay to force children to learn an instrument or sport. If they show an interest then it is good to enroll them in lessons. However, swimming is an important skill to have. If it isn't competitive swimming, lessons are probably a good idea.

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