Learning how to play the piano is great for both younger and older people. Playing an instrument can open up a whole new world of experiences, but learning the fundamentals can be difficult. Before you can graduate to playing easy piano songs for kids you need to teach notes, chords and scales. Studies have found that learning music is very similar to learning a new language Trusted Source Are musicians better language learners? | Education | The Guardian Children who learn music from a young age find it easier to learn languages even in adulthood, research has found www.theguardian.com which is always easier when you’re younger. In this article, we will take a closer look at one effective method to teach kids how to play piano with some easy piano songs for kids with letters.
Learning the basics
The best toddler piano models on the market are fun to play, but they need to be laid out in a logical way to teach the basics. No formal music experience is needed to begin and a parent can play along with their child. Start with the piano notes, find C-, this is a white key located to the left of a pair of black keys. From that white key the notes progress in alphabetical order until they reach G and then the next note is A again. Many piano songs for kids with letters can start with labeling the keys if they are not already marked. The notes should be labelled in the following progression: C, D E, F, G, A and B. If your child knows their alphabet, they can mark up the piano keys to help them learn songs quickly.
7 easiest piano songs for your kid to play
The best toddler piano models are easy to play, and you can get your child playing simple melodies in next to no time. You don’t need special lessons or techniques to start creating music at this stage, and playing along with your child is a great experience. Start by learning a little about your instrument, but don’t force the child to start learning, it’s important to let them explore. At first, they will just explore the feeling of the keys and start making sounds as they get comfortable. If your child already knows a melody or part of a favorite song you can encourage them to play it repeatedly.
We’ve already covered marking the keys with the corresponding letters, but what if your child doesn’t know the alphabet yet? Well, this is a great time to learn letters and if your child is younger you can always use colored stickers instead. Simply match the color with the corresponding not on your music sheet, which will still be an effective teaching tool.
1. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
If you choose Easy piano sheet music with letters for beginners, it’s likely that this children’s classic will be present. Beginners of all ages love to play this popular melody, which is simple. The note progression is repeated twice, making it easy for a child to locate the notes. Once the notes are learned, you can sing a long for even more fun!
C – C G – G A-A G
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
F F E-E D D C
How I wonder what you are!
G G-F F E E D
Up above the world so high,
G G F-F E E D
Like a diamond in the sky…
C – C G – G A-A G
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
F F E-E D D C
How I wonder what you are!
2. Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Many kids love to play this song because it has a fun story and a cliffhanger ending that keeps them on the edge of their seats. Because the song has a full set of actions to perform it can be fun to sing and do the actions and then switch roles for the next rendition.
G ^C-^C ^C-^D ^E-^E
The itsy – bitsy spider
^E ^D ^C ^D-^E ^C
Climbed up the water spout
^E ^E ^F ^G
Down came the rain
^G ^F ^E ^F-^G ^E
And washed the spider out
^C ^C ^D ^E
Out came the sun
^E ^D ^C ^D ^E ^C
And dried up all the rain
G G ^C-^C ^C-^D ^E-^E
And the itsy – bitsy spider
^E ^D ^C ^D ^E-^C
Climbed up the spout again!
3. Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
You don’t need the best digital piano under 300 dollars to have a fun sing-along. Row, row, row your boat is a popular song for travelling, but it’s also a great song to play with younger kids. The note progression closely follows the notes in this progression:
C C C D E
Row, row, row your boat
E – D E F G
Gently down the stream
^C-^C-^C G-G-G
Merrily merrily
E-E-E C-C-C
Merrily, merrily
G F E D C
Life is but a dream!
4. If You’re Happy and You Know It
This is a very happy song and kids love to sing-a-long with a clap or two to make the experience even more fun. This is also a great tune to learn, but it does include a single B flat note that can be tricky to master. This is the note between the A and B keys and it may not be present on some of the smaller toddler pianos.
C C F – F F F F F
If you’re happy and you know it
E F G
Clap your hands
C C G – G G G G G
If you’re happy and you know it
F G A
Clap your hands
F F Bb-Bb Bb Bb D D
If you’re happy and you know it
Bb Bb A-A A G F F
And you really want to show it
A A G-G G F E E
If you’re happy and you know it
D E F
Clap your hands!
5. Old Macdonald Had a Farm
What could be more fun than playing and singing about every animal that lives on a farm? Not much if you see how kids react to playing this classic song repeatedly and it’s pretty easy to learn on the piano keyboard.
G G – G – D E E D
Old MacDonald had a farm
B B A A G
E – I – E – I – O!
D G G G D E E D
And on that farm he had a cow
B B A A G
E – I – E – I – O!
D D G G G
With a moo moo here
D D G G G
And a moo moo there
G G G
Here a moo
G G G
There a moo
G – G – G G G G
Everywhere a moo moo
G G – G – D E E D
Old MacDonald had a farm
B B A A G
E – I – E – I – O!
6. Mary Had a Little Lamb
When a music tutor teaches a new student, this is usually one of the first melodies that they teach. It’s an easy tune to learn, you can sing-a-long with your kids and there are plenty of adventures to enjoy with Mary and the little lamb.
E – D C D E-E E
Mary had a little lamb
D – D D E-G G
Little lamb, little lamb
E – D C D E-E E
Mary had a little lamb
E D D E D C
Its fleece was white as snow.
7. Happy Birthday to You
Singing and even playing “Happy Birthday to You” is a key part of childhood. When your child learns this song they can play it for their friends at their birthdays and share the fun.
D – D E – D G F#
Happy birthday to you
D – D E – D A G
Happy birthday to you
D – D ^D – B G F# – E
Happy birthday dear person
^C-^C B – G A G
Happy birthday to you
Final thoughts
As you can see you don’t need the best piano bench and an expensive digital piano to get started playing the piano with your child. Very young children with a basic toy piano can learn to play a simple tune or two. However, if you want to tackle some of the more complex melodies at this level you may need a larger piano keyboard. Having more real estate means you have access to notes such as B flat to play “If You’re Happy and You Know it” and you can play duets which is a lot of fun. Learning a musical instrument is very rewarding at any age and children pick up these skills very quickly. Teaching easy piano songs for kids is a great way to get started and if they enjoy the experience you can invest in better instruments and private lessons later.
Great post! I’m always looking for fun and easy piano songs for my kids to learn and play. These songs are perfect for young beginners and the sheet music and videos are really helpful. Thanks for sharing!