Easy-to-Play Piano Songs for Children
Most experts agree that people are at their most receptive to learning when they are at their youngest. The mind of a child is largely free of pre-conceived notions and self-limiting beliefs. This is why most successful musicians and songwriters start out at a very early age.
The best way to get a child interested in playing music is to get him or her to successfully master a couple of very basic, well-known songs. Just like learning math, the learning of a few basics is essential as a building block to more complex and bigger accomplishments. With that in mind, this article provides some children’s classic songs that are easy to play. Keep in mind, these are for the very beginner, and the examples listed here should be kept as simple as possible.
Jingle Bells
It does not have to be Christmas for a child to learn this song. One of the happiest songs for kids is also one of the easiest to learn, with only a handful of notes in the chorus, mostly spaced close to each other. The verses are also fairly easy to master.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
This children’s classic is made up of just a handful of notes within the same octave, which makes it a great choice for a first-time song.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
This beloved children’s classic is easy to play as most of the notes are very close to each other (in fact, can be easily played with 5 fingers) and the progression from note to note is extremely easy. Like many other children’s songs, this is typically taught in the key of C, which most music teachers begin with. This also has a nice, bouncy rhythm that is easy to maintain.
Amazing Grace
Whether your child is a church-goer or not, he or she will undoubtedly recognize this classic hymn. Inspirational message aside, a quick look at the notation of this song will reveal just how simple this elegant song is to play. It can be played at virtually any tempo, which can be encouraging to a child who is concerned about how slow he or she is playing a song. Like most of the songs on this list, the song can be played in C, which makes it a good starting point.
Morning Has Broken
Best known as a hit for Cat Stevens, whose version has a complex piano intro, the lyrics of this song actually date back to 1931, and the song itself is based on an even earlier traditional Gaelic tune. The tune itself is actually quite simple. It can be played at a moderate tempo.
Yankee Doodle
This easy song was sung by the British army in pre-Revolutionary War days to describe the disheveled look of the “Yankee” soldiers. It was later used by the Americans themselves as a rallying cry of sorts, and is considered a patriotic classic today. It is also the state song of Connecticut.
Easy to Play; Easy to Find
These songs can prove to be a great way to teach your child piano. Best of all, sheet music for all of these tunes can be found online or downloaded for free or at low cost.