There are a ton of benefits your child can gain from learning how to play the piano. From improved memory to better listening skills to enhanced coordination–the list can go on. And if you’re considering signing your kid up for piano lessons in Toronto, it’s important to also carve out time for them to practice their skills at home. In fact, it’s recommended to practice everyday for at least 30 minutes ranging up to 2 or more hours per day. This will help keep your child on top of what they’re learning in class and improve their overall skills. It’s important to use this time to work on certain skills and make the practice time very deliberate so they won’t waste time playing the piano mindlessly.
As your child starts to progress in their teachings, their music instructor may assign or recommend certain songs for them to work on during their practice time that focuses on different areas. However, there are several easy piano songs for kids to become accustomed to during the times when they are practicing by themselves! Many of these songs may even overlap what their music instructor will recommend.
Top piano songs for kids at home
Many of the children’s songs you know and love are actually quite easy to play on the piano. The benefit of using traditional children’s songs is that it can help your kid get excited to practice and play the song because it’s already something they are familiar with! P.S., these songs are also great for adults who are just getting started on their piano journey as they still cover the basics you will learn in your first few music sessions!
1. Mary Had a Little Lamb
If you ask any piano instructor or musician, they’ll most likely recommend your piano journey to start by learning how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb. This is because it’s one of the easiest songs to learn how to play on the piano and can even be done using a single hand as all of the keys are right next to each other. This song features four keys including middle C, D, E, and G. Mary Had a Little Lamb is also an excellent way to learn how to play in time when first starting to get familiar with the instrument.
2. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is another piano classic that many people will recommend starting out with. The biggest benefit to learning this tune is that it offers a very simple melody to play along with repetitive keys. This will help your child pick up on the keys and understand the timing more easily. It’s also super simple to memorize and play time and time again. To play this song, you’ll need to use the C, D, E, F, G, and A keys. And while it may seem like a big step up from Mary Had a Little Lamb because there are more keys, the song typically moves pretty slow to allow for time to get the hang of things.
3. Itsy Bitsy Spider
Another nursery rhyme that almost everyone is familiar with is Itsy Bitsy Spider. This song also happens to be one of the easiest songs to learn for piano beginners. Like the last song, Itsy Bitsy Spider uses repetition to drive home the keys and timing of the song to make it easier to play. To play this song, your kid can actually just use their right hand to play the G, C, D, E, and F keys!
4. Jingle Bells
Both during and after the holiday season, Jingle Bells is the perfect song for your kid to practice their piano skills on. Like many of the other songs on this list, Jingle Bells only requires you to play a few notes in a repetitive fashion which makes it easy to catch on to. You can even coach your child to play it entirely with the right hand using the middle C, D, E, F, and G keys!
5. The Wheels on the Bus
While it is still considered a fairly simple song to play, the Wheels on the Bus is probably one of the most challenging tunes to play on this list. This is because it requires both hands to play different keys. The left hand will be playing the E, F, G, A, and B keys while the right hand will play the middle C, D, E, F, and G keys. That said, the melody is fairly slow which gives your kid time to grasp the skill of playing with both hands!
6. Chopsticks
Almost every piano player starts off by learning how to play chopsticks because it was made to help you get familiar with the keys and timing of songs! Chopsticks only require the use of two fingers (hence the name!) and some people even like to play it with their pinkies. Once you get the hang of the song, you can really start to pick up the pace and work on your coordination while playing.
7. Barney Theme Song
While Barney may not be as relevant to kids today, the theme song of the show is still super great to practice while learning how to play the piano! It requires playing the C, D, E, F, G, A, and B keys in a repetitive fashion which makes it easy to memorize.
8. Old Macdonald Had a Farm
Like the Wheels on the Bus, Old Macdonald Had a Farm does require a bit more concentration as there are nine keys needed to play it. The keys used in the song are F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. This is another song that is recommended to start out slow when your kid is first learning it and then they’re able to pick up the speed once they’re comfortable.
9. Happy Birthday to You
Your kid is going to love being able to play Happy Birthday to You during every family or friend's birthday celebration. Plus, it’s a great song for them to practice their skills on! This song requires both hands to play with the thumbs sitting on the middle C key. They’ll also be able to test out their skills on the F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G keys!
10. Let It Go
It’s always ideal when your child can play one of their favourite songs on the piano as it gets them excited and passionate about practicing! And while Let It Go from Frozen may seem like a more complex song compared to the others on this list, it’s actually quite simple to learn on the piano!
If you’re looking to sign your children up for piano lessons in Toronto (or if you want to learn yourself), we’d love to chat with you here at Greater Toronto Music School. We offer both in-person and virtual piano classes to best suit you and your child’s schedule!
