How Do I Teach My Preschooler Piano?

by john aschenbrenner August 6, 2023

How do I teach my preschooler piano? Slowly, and with great humor.

Perhaps even the word "teach" goes too far. It's more like playing "This Little Piggy" or reciting the alphabet with your child. The gentler the approach, the better.

"This Little Piggy" is a perfect example. What you are really doing is getting the child to discover they have five toes, even subliminally.

You are doing the same with the piano, except it is infinitely more complex.

The only logical thing to do is to number the piano keys, because numbers are entirely understandable to a preschooler. Five fingers, five toes, two cookies, This Little Piggy.........

Piano Is Easy

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Number The Keys

Kids readily understand numbers and so it is a very suitable starting platform. Reading music, on the other hand, is the method most often used to begin, but preschooler's brains are not yet developed enough to handle music reading complexities.

Better to keep the musical language as simple as possible at first, hence, numbers not notes.

Try A Song On Our Online Piano

Old MacDonald

| 5 5 5 2 | 3 3 2 * | 7 7 6 6 | 5 * * * |

Once you have started with familiar songs, you can play games with the piano to get the child used to the geography of the piano keyboard.

The Missing Step

We're not trying to eliminate reading music. Rather, we believe there is a missing step in children's piano, and that step is to simply let the child enjoy the piano, without the struggles of learning to read music.

The easiest way to do this is to use numbers instead of notes, leaving notes for later when the child has had a chance to get to know the piano keyboard.

Why Stickers Help Kids

Why do piano number stickers work so well for kids? The answer is simple: kids need a visual reference point to get a good start. Kids find stickers to be an immediate source of confidence. Piano key numbers help kids discover the geography of the piano.

It is easy to interest kids because numbers are so familiar. Conventional piano lessons start with the demand that the child decipher complex symbols on the page. Then the child must be able to find the corresponding keys on the piano.

How Does Piano By Number Work?

Prepare children for piano lessons just as you prepared them for reading. You started with speaking the letters and then moved on to symbols, ABC. You prepared them for numbers by playing games like “This Little Piggy.” Let kids explore the piano free from the limitations of reading music, just as you taught the letters of the alphabet.

Start slowly and easily, enjoying familiar songs in a simplified language. Wait until your kids are ready for more complex tasks.