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You are here: Home / Musical Activities For... / Preschoolers / First Piano Lessons: Getting Started

First Piano Lessons: Getting Started

May 26, 2021 By Sara Mullett 46 Comments

The First Piano Lessons are a series of short exercises disguised as games which combine strengthening and co-ordination with note recognition and memory. Presented in a playful and engaging way that doesn’t cause frustration, they’re perfect for introducing your child to piano at home, while bringing a lot of  fun and satisfaction along the way.

When do know if your child is ready to start learning the piano?

How can I tell if they are going to like it?

My child is only 5 – is it too early to start lessons – might it be a waste of money?

These are all frequent questions asked by parents who are interested in starting their child on the piano. There is no definitive age to start that is right for everyone. Firstly, it is vital that the child shows a desire and interest in playing the piano, and is happy to sit and concentrate for a short time, say 15 minutes to start with. It is a lot easier if they can already read a little, so it is probably best to give that a head start, and not to bombard them with too much information all at once! It also helps if they have strong little hands, although this can be improved with practise, if they do have very small hands, it might be better to let them grow a bit!

Ready to start First Piano lessons?

With this series, parents can assist their own children in the basic first steps of playing the piano. This will lay the foundations in a fun and easy way, giving children the incentive and confidence to go on to start formal piano lessons when they are ready to do so.

And when they do start proper one-to-one lessons,  they’ll have a head start and be in a much stronger position to learn and make the most of them. Progress will be much faster, and they will be more likely to succeed and develop a real love of the instrument.

 1 : The Easiest Way To Learn The Notes – Each note becomes an animal in this super easy method. Kids find it easy to grasp and the note names really stick. Note naming games become a highlight and they’re considered a treat!

 2 : Fingers!  –  Finger exercises are of course vital for beginners and at first young ones lack the required strength and co-ordination. But this catchy little rhyme helps make it a pleasure!

 3 : Introducing The Note Family –  The Note family teaches note values with each note becoming a character. This simple idea really appeals to Kids and has lots of scope to develop into stories and movement.

 4 : Finger Strengthening – Here’s another catchy finger exercise that kids take to easily. In fact it’s so popular that you’ll be begging them to stop!

 5 : The Dice Game – a fun way to encourage practice  –  The dice game is in fact a round up game where each activity is selected at random therefore adding a bit of novelty.

6. Piano Finger Note Pets – Another cute way to consolidate note naming and a fun activity to engage little ones at the keyboard.

Check out my First Piano Lessons eBook for many more exercises and 17 pages of supporting printables for introducing kids to piano.

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    First Piano Lessons eBook

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Let's Play Music : Getting Started with teaching kids piano lessons at home

Additional Resources

How to Read Music Made Easy

Free Printable: Learning about the clefs & note mnemonics

Easy Printable Sheet Music : Twinkle Twinkle

Easy Printable Sheet Music: Jingle Bells 

How to Read Music Made Easy : Rests 

Teaching Piano Hand Position

How to Teach Let It Go on the Piano

Top Ten Tips for Approaching Sight Reading

Let's Play Music : First Piano Lesson Series - The Easiest Way to Learn The Notes on the Piano - This is for a piano lesson but works with any instrument!

Filed Under: 5+, Classical Music for Kids, First Piano Lessons, How To Read Music, Musical Activities For..., Preschoolers Tagged With: First Piano Lesson Series

Please note, the posts on Let’s Play Music include affiliate links for your convenience.

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Comments

  1. Jen Gutz says

    November 3, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    I totally agree with this!

    I have a 10 year old daughter who is currently enrolled in the Online Piano Lessons of an international school in the Philippines (www.georgia.edu.ph) and I saw that my child is really enjoying and have improvements on her skills and personality. Take note, this is her first time joining a musical instrument class. Playing musical instrument, particularly the piano, really helped a lot in my daughter’s development. Hope you can share more article like this. More power to your blog!

    Reply
  2. muna says

    October 23, 2020 at 8:16 pm

    that great. i cant wait to start

    Reply
  3. monkeytribe1 says

    January 9, 2019 at 4:34 pm

    does this also work when you want to teach your friend piano? my friend is around 11 years old and asked if I could teach him.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 10, 2019 at 11:12 am

      It would be a great way for him to get started. Obviously it’s usually aimed at younger children, but older beginners can certainly find it an easy way to get going before moving on to more challenging lessons. Good luck!

      Reply
  4. Mary Ann Falkenberg says

    June 1, 2016 at 2:14 pm

    How do I order

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      June 1, 2016 at 7:50 pm

      Hi Mary, If you email me – sara@qc-music.com, I can help you order.

      Reply
  5. Tasha says

    January 11, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    this system worked for my three kids! you should check it out!

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 11, 2016 at 11:55 pm

      I’m really glad your kids are getting on so well with learning the piano Tasha! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Alissa says

    January 4, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    How can I get a copy of the letters you place on the keys for beginners?

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 4, 2016 at 11:49 pm

      Hi Alissa, The note printables for the keys are included in the First Piano lessons eBook, which full of support and tips for young beginners. – http://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/first-piano-lessons-ebook/

      Reply
  7. Lia says

    December 15, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    I’m a SAHMom and want to teach my 4 and 6 year olds piano. I love the look of the beginning lessons. After I teach them the beginning lessons do I go on to the ebook? I’d like to go in order but not sure where to start after the beginning lessons.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      December 15, 2015 at 3:30 pm

      Hi Lia, The most important thing with young beginners is encouraging them to play as much as possible. The first piano lessons series gets them started, and the eBook although it does include a lot of the same activities, includes much more in-depth teaching support and resources. When children first start learning the piano they need lots of repetition in order to develop an understanding and strengthen their fingers, so these activities and exercises are an excellent way to encourage them. Have lots of fun teaching your kids piano! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Jack Vaughan says

    October 2, 2015 at 5:08 pm

    Just wanted to say a big thanks to you guys. I’m finding all your stuff really helpful. Thank you very much for this. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      October 2, 2015 at 6:01 pm

      You’re welcome 🙂

      Reply
  9. Manuel Vega says

    June 1, 2015 at 7:46 am

    Hello,

    I just bought The “First piano lessons ebook” item #1425563 but unfortunately had a typo on my email, I wrote “geofisica@gmail.col” instead of “geofisica@gmail.com” The typo is that the last letter should be “m” as “com” not “l”.
    The problem is that I didn’t receive the email with the ebook because it was sent to a wrong email, could you please help me with this? Perhaps you
    can resend the ebook or link to my correct email address which is this as follows: geofisica@gmail.com

    I can send you the receipt from my paypal account if you need it as confirmation. The unique transaction ID is #571164272Y0466248

    Best regards and have a nice day,

    Manuel Vega

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      June 1, 2015 at 10:36 am

      No problem Manuel, I have emailed you the link. Thanks for buying the eBook!

      Reply
  10. R Roddis says

    April 9, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Thank you for sharing all these brilliant resources and ideas! Having just started to teach two students they have been extremely helpful!

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      April 10, 2015 at 12:37 am

      You are very welcome, I’m so glad you are finding the First Piano Lessons useful – watch out for my new Ebook launching next week 13th April with lots more piano teaching resources.

      Reply
  11. Christine says

    November 24, 2014 at 11:40 pm

    This looks like a great site to help me teach my daughter how to play piano keyboard. She is 5 and has been asking for a keyboard to play but I don’t know what to get her. 61-key? Any specifics that should be present when buying a keyboard for a child beginner?

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      November 25, 2014 at 9:31 am

      So glad you found us Christine and very pleased that your daughter wants to learn the keyboard too! I have actually written a post which should help you; http://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/choosing-piano-keyboard-for-beginners/ I hope this helps 🙂 Good Luck!!

      Reply
  12. Faustine Obong says

    July 8, 2014 at 8:37 am

    encouraging efforts towards seing young pianists sprout.

    Reply
  13. Sara_LetsPlayMusic says

    December 27, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    Thank you so much @Carlinton:disqus! That’s so kind of you, will pop by your site also – looks great!

    Reply
  14. AG Measuredmom says

    September 5, 2013 at 7:41 pm

    This is great! My husband and I are both pianists, but we are probably going to find a different teacher for our five kids. Right now we’re trying to figure out who that will be! Any tips as to what to look for? Thanks for sharing at the After School Linky!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      September 6, 2013 at 11:16 am

      Thanks for your lovely comments 🙂 The most important thing to start with for children learning any instrument, is that they are relaxed and have fun with it. The early lessons should be playful and easy going. Observe the first few lessons and make sure they are are happy – then they will learn. It’s great that you and your husband both play, that will help them an awful lot! Good luck!!

      Reply
  15. Carla says

    May 21, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    This is wonderful!! I am so glad you shared it on Teach Me Tuesday at Preschool Powol Packets!! I’m going to be doing the lessons with you and my just-turned six year old!!

    Reply
    • Sara_QCMusic says

      May 22, 2013 at 11:02 am

      Glad you like the First Piano Series! Thank you for hosting the share! and I hope you and your daughter enjoy them!

      Reply
  16. Heather May says

    May 20, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    I am SO glad that you posted this on the Friday Follow Along! I have 5 kids and they all are expressing an interest in music. I played instruments as a child BUT we are talking woodwinds and they aren’t ready for that! I never played piano but know that it is a FANTASTIC place to start! I am definitely following and will be back to get started after vacation! Thank you again for sharing!

    Reply
    • Sara_QCMusic says

      May 20, 2013 at 11:09 pm

      Hi Heather May, Glad you found the First Piano Series! and hope your kids have lots of fun learning the piano!

      Reply
  17. Trisha Durham says

    May 19, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    What a great activity! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  18. Rebecca English says

    May 19, 2013 at 9:57 am

    Oh wow! This is brilliant. I’ve been wondering these exact questions myself recently as my eldest is 6 next month and starting to shgow an interest.

    Thanks for joining in The Sunday Showcase. I’ve pinned to our board.

    Reply

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