So maybe you work in a school or studio environment where the parents aren't able to be present at the lesson of a younger student (age 5-7).
How do we best communicate with them? How do we encourage the child to 'get their violin out' and actually use it at home? And use it in a way which is beneficial to them, ie practice?!
I was recently delivering a 12 hour course to ESTA Espana teachers and this was one (of many) topics of discussion.
Here's some thoughts and feelings...
Parents are busy and find it hard to find time to read notebooks/emails/time to practice etc. They can feel overwhelmed to start with. To solve the point above, I prioritise connection with the parents. I find out 'why' they want their child to have lessons and I make a point of asking them questions about their child, about their hobbies, likes and dislikes so they know I'm on their side. I make sure the parents regularly see my face by recording tiny 1-4 minute videos of me demonstrating ideas that we covered in the lesson. Their child is packing away during this time. Ideally, I would have their child demonstrating, but at school, we are not allowed to photograph or video our students. When the parents finally see me at school at an event or concert, by seeing my face, they feel like they actually know me, which is lovely! They often come up and just hug me which is beautiful! I tend to send these videos about 4-5 times a term. I love to connect with my students using the answers to their questions about their hobbies, likes and dislikes etc. They feel like their lesson is personally relevant and want to please. Some weeks, we make audio recordings which we text or email across. On these recordings, we pretend it's a performance where their child introduces the music, and I'm a bit cheeky by explaining what we're doing and what I'm checking on their violin or bow set-up etc... so the parents also get some insight into the lesson. Other lessons, I just send out a quick email explaining how the lesson went, a funny moment, what I love about teaching their child, and what they're working on. I have a google drive folder which I drop Stringosaurus Hub videos, stories, lessons and technique building songs into. I just share it with the parents so they can easily support their child at home. I recently set-up a free sign up for students straight to the Hub to save time, so I'll be just sending them the link from this term.
What this means is, the parent sees communication from me as interesting, exciting and varied as it centres and celebrates their child. It's not just asking them to do stuff. They come to see me as a support for their child and their family.
It also means, if anything challenging occurs in the lesson that I need to communicate back, they are usually very understanding, helpful and receptive.
Let me know what you think and whether this is useful?
Love Laura
Stringosaurus.com | 
