After purchasing that first acoustic guitar, classical guitar or electric guitar for your child and seeing the excitement on their face after the purchase, it wears off quite quickly when it comes time to entice them to practice every day. There are some tricks to doing this. I know as I taught guitar for 12 years and have played much longer than that. Aside from the fact that you should have a guitar that is a pleasure to play and you should be equipped with the proper guitar accessories, follow these few tips that I have passed on to parents to get their children over the "hump" of initial learning.

1. Make sure that there is a quiet place to play. This should be a space that is secluded and has no interference from the TV or music or other noise from family members. A very small studio would be ideal. Take a look at the studio where you child takes their lessons at the music store - it is likely about 6' x 10'. That is how much area you should have.
2. There should be a comfortable chair in this room and the chair should be armless. Also have a sturdy music stand and a very stable guitar stand. Both of these items can be picked up  at a well-stocked music store where they handle guitar accessories. The idea here is that the guitar should be left out and on the stand most of the time. It is much easier to just walk over and pick it up rather than having to drag the case out of a closet and cart the guitar all over the house.
3. Practice sessions should be about 15 to 20 minutes maximum. There should be 2 or 3 per day, every day. If one is all that can be worked out than go with that for now. You child will want to play more as they gain more experience.
4. Have them practice short sections of the music at a time, just a few measures and master them before moving on. Start at the beginning and add a few more measures, s l o w l y extending the length of the song. More sinks in with this method and they will remember more the next time they sit down.
5. As soon as possible, have your child get together with some other child playing the guitar, at about the same level of experience. One can play lead and the other accompanyment and they can switch off and both learn at accelerated levels.

Make sure your teacher has enough experience and patience with children too. The closer their connection the more your child will want to impress their teacher.

Visit Ultimate Guitar Online to get more tips and ideas for anything that has to do with the guitar!