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.
Additional Resources
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
How to Teach Let It Go on the Piano
Top Ten Tips for Approaching Sight Reading
Get musical inspiration into your inbox!
Receive updates from Let's Play Music straight into your inbox!
that great. i cant wait to start
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.
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!
How do I order
Hi Mary, If you email me – [email protected], I can help you order.
this system worked for my three kids! you should check it out!
I’m really glad your kids are getting on so well with learning the piano Tasha! 🙂
How can I get a copy of the letters you place on the keys for beginners?
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/
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.
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! 🙂
Just wanted to say a big thanks to you guys. I’m finding all your stuff really helpful. Thank you very much for this. 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂
Hello,
I just bought The “First piano lessons ebook” item #1425563 but unfortunately had a typo on my email, I wrote “[email protected]” instead of “[email protected]” 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: [email protected]
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
No problem Manuel, I have emailed you the link. Thanks for buying the eBook!
Thank you for sharing all these brilliant resources and ideas! Having just started to teach two students they have been extremely helpful!
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.
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?
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!!
encouraging efforts towards seing young pianists sprout.
Thank you so much @Carlinton:disqus! That’s so kind of you, will pop by your site also – looks great!
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!
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!!
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!!
Glad you like the First Piano Series! Thank you for hosting the share! and I hope you and your daughter enjoy them!
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!
Hi Heather May, Glad you found the First Piano Series! and hope your kids have lots of fun learning the piano!
What a great activity! Thank you so much!
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.