5 Fun Ways to Encourage Piano Practice in December

Looking for ways to keep your piano students practicing through December? Here are five fun and festive ideas (including two free printables) to help your students stay motivated all month long and into the new year.

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December can be a wonderful but wild month in the piano studio. Students are buzzing with holiday excitement, teachers are wrapping up recitals, and then suddenly… a long winter break hits. With all the busyness, how can we keep the momentum of the school year going?

Here are five easy, festive, and teacher-approved ways to keep your students practicing and engaged all month long, with a couple of freebies tucked in for you, too!

1. Hand Out a December Note-a-Day Mini-Book

december note naming activity note-a-day for piano students

Start the month with a fun surprise that will encourage practice all month!
The December Note-a-Day Mini Book is a tiny printable booklet that gets students excited about daily note naming. It comes in three levels:

Level 1: Beginning note readers
Level 2: Most elementary students
Level 3: Ledger-line-ready students

Each page reveals one note on the staff, and certain notes become clues that help students solve a silly seasonal joke at the end. Students love uncovering the next clue, which means they’re also more likely to pull out their other books and practice.

This mini-book is just a few dollars in my resource store, and you can print it forever for your studio.

I’ve also created a mini book for every month, so you can continue the fun into the new year.

BUY the December Note-a-Day Mini Book

2. Use the Free Recital Practice Bingo Board

piano recital practice bingo free pdf printable

The weeks leading up to a recital are perfect for building practice habits, and making it fun.

My Recital Practice Bingo is a free printable you can give to all your students. Each square includes a simple challenge that helps them prepare for the big performance. You’ll find prompts like practicing in front of a family member, running their piece without stopping, or working on dynamics.

It encourages:

Extra at-home practice
Gentle performance prep
A festive sense of accomplishment

You can download this Recital Bingo board for free in my resource store.

Grab Recital Practice Bingo for free

3. Bring Out the Rhythm Cups

If your students need something to do with all of that energy (or sugar rush) in December, Rhythm Cups are magic.

Using simple plastic cups, students clap, tap, flip, and slide their way through rhythm patterns. You can find Rhythm Cups packs from Wendy Stevens, and they work wonderfully in:

Private lessons
Group lessons
Holiday studio parties

Students get hooked fast. As a send-home challenge, print a page from the Rhythm Cups pack and give each student a small stack of cups. Ask them to teach a family member one rhythm pattern over break. This makes for an inexpensive and super-fun studio gift for your final lesson of the year.

Check out Rhythm Cups on Wendy’s website: ComposeCreate

4. Send Home the Free Christmas Cookie Board Game

christmas note naming board game for piano students free pdf

This one is a hit with families, and ’tis the season for board games with the family.

The Christmas Cookie Board Game is a free printable from my resource store that pairs beautifully with any flashcards you want your student to review over break. Just print the game, choose a flashcard set (note names, intervals, chords…whatever they need), and send everything home as a holiday gift.

If you’d like something more robust, you can also purchase the full board game set, which comes with its own cards and covers every level of note reading.

Either version makes an adorable and personalized at-home activity that encourages both review and together-time.

Buy the full Christmas Cookie Board Game Set

Or Grab the board only (to use with your flashcards) for free

5. Try the Christmas Fill-in-the-Blank Story Booklets

christmas story activity booklets for piano students

My students’ favorite theory assignments are the fill-in-the-blank stories. So these were an automatic hit for the holiday season.

My Christmas Fill-in-the-Blank Story Activity Booklets come in six levels: from pre-reading all the way to ledger lines. Students complete charming stories and poems by naming notes on the staff to fill in the blanks. Each booklet includes:

A fun seasonal story
Note-naming activities throughout
A cheat sheet at the back for reference
A half-page format that’s easy to assemble
Unlimited studio printing rights

Print on festive colored paper, tie with a bow, and pair with a tiny treat. These make perfect after-recital gifts. Students love having something fun to do in the car, at grandma’s house, or by the Christmas tree during break.

You can save by buying the bundle of all six levels, or just get the level you need for your students for a few dollars.

Shop all levels of the Christmas Fill-in-the-Blank Story Activity Booklets