Not for nothing do they say ‘practice makes perfect’. There are dozens of examples of people making it big in their fields, through years of practice and sheer dent of hard work. One of the best CBSE schools always insists on “Practice Like you never won, Perform like you never lost“. Discussed here are a few simple tips to inculcate the ‘practice’ habit in children.
Malcolm Gladwell has in his best seller ‘Outliers’ came up with his now famous theory that in order to attain mastery in a field, you need to put in 10,000 hours of practice. While one may or may not agree with the number, there is no denying the fact that practice is important to attain a certain degree of mastery over a subject. However, making children practice is often a big challenge. How do you remove the drudgery from practice? How do you make practice fun? These are the million dollar questions. Here are a few handy tips.
Music and dance:
Music is another field, where regular practice plays a key role. Those in the high school or higher secondary level can measure their progress based on their music teacher’s evaluation. Music, whether vocal or instrumental needs years of practice to perfect, Music – A No cost medicine. Dance too is similar. While children may start learning at the primary level, it needs sustained practice. Children in One of the best CBSE schools could be put through the paces every day for at least a few minutes. This will ensure that they enjoy the cumulative benefits by the time they are in their higher secondary level.
Efficient practice:
While practicing is important, practicing without an intent serves no purpose. For example, if a high school student is practicing for becoming a better cricketer, then he/she needs to practice based on different situations that he/she may face in a match. Different match situations may be simulated. For example, set a target of hitting 15 runs to get in an over or if you are bowling to stop the batsman from scoring a similar number of runs in an over, so on and so forth. So, your practice needs to be in tune with what you want to achieve. Another example would be a case wherein you want to learn a new language. While practicing the grammar would be important here, what is also important is that you actually practice ‘speaking’ the language with someone. There are ways to improve your communication. The point here is to ensure that the practice actually serves the purpose.
Power of practice:
Elite sportsmen and women are excellent role models for what practice can do. When we see a Lionel Messi weave his magic on the football field, we tend to forget the hours of practice that is behind those twinkling feet. Similarly, when we marvel at a beautiful Virat Kohli, a cricket player’s cover drive, we don’t think about the thousands of balls that the Indian captain has hit as part of his practice routine to perfect that shot. We may sigh after watching a breathtaking backhand from Roger Federer, not thinking about the kind of practice that the tennis legend must have put to attain that kind of a perfection. Discover the legend in you!
Action time:
Ralph Waldo Emerson has famously said that “an ounce of action is worth a ton of theory”. How true, for there is nothing like putting what you have learnt into practice. Now, that you have practiced hard, whatever may be the endeavor, it could be your studies or in a sport, it is time for action. If you have been sincere in your practice, be a hardworker and you are sure to see good results.
One of the best CBSE schools like the Camford, we have always used innovative ways to instill a sense of discipline and make children realize the importance of practice. Apart from ensuring the best possible infrastructure and environment for excelling in academics, we also have excellent facilities for developing the children’s sporting abilities. Many of our children have already made their mark in national sporting events.