Best instruments for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds

At three, the best instruments are the voice, the body, and simple percussion, in a music class with a parent. At four, a child can begin the violin, the cello, or the piano with a teacher who is trained to teach that age. At five, the piano and the ukulele open up for most children. Wind and brass instruments are best left until about nine.

At a glance

Age	Works well	Wait on
3	Singing, movement, drums, shakers, and a small xylophone	Private lessons, for most children
4	All of the above, and violin, cello, or piano by the Suzuki method	Guitar, recorder, and wind instruments
5	All of the above, and piano lessons and ukulele	Wind and brass instruments, and a full drum kit

Children differ. A teacher who meets your child can say more than any chart.

Age 3

A three-year-old learns music by singing, moving, and copying. The goal at this age is a steady beat, a tuneful voice, and joy.

What to have at home.

• A hand drum or a small djembe
• Egg shakers and a tambourine
• A small xylophone or glockenspiel with a good, true sound
• Scarves to wave to music

What to do. Join a parent-and-child music class. These classes meet once a week, with singing, rhymes, movement, and small instruments. Read early childhood music classes compared.

Can a three-year-old take lessons? Some can. Suzuki violin teachers take children from about three. The parent comes to every lesson and practices with the child every day. Read best age to start violin lessons.

Age 4

A four-year-old can follow a short lesson, copy a teacher, and repeat a small task. Fingers are still small and not yet strong.

Violin and cello. These come in tiny sizes that fit a four-year-old. The first months are spent on standing, holding, and bowing, with little tunes by ear.

Piano. Suzuki piano teachers start at three or four. Many other piano teachers ask families to wait until five or six. Read best age to start piano lessons.

What makes it work at four. The teacher is trained to teach small children. The lessons are short. A parent sits in and leads the practice at home, a few minutes at a time. Read the Suzuki method explained for parents.

Age 5

At five, many children can sit for a 20- to 30-minute lesson, know left from right, and can count and name some letters. That opens more doors.

Piano. This is the age when many piano teachers begin. The child needs a piano or a keyboard at home.

Ukulele. A small ukulele fits a five-year-old’s lap and hands. The four nylon strings are soft. Group classes for this age focus on strumming and singing. Read the ukulele for kids.

Violin and cello. Five is a common starting age, with or without the Suzuki method.

Choir. Many children’s choirs take singers from five or six.

What to wait on

Recorder. The fingers must seal every hole. Most children manage this at six or seven.

Guitar. Even a small guitar is wide for a young child, and the strings are hard to press. Most teachers start at six or seven. The ukulele is a good first step.

Flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and trombone. These need bigger hands, more breath, and adult front teeth. School bands start them at about nine or ten.

A full drum kit. A young child cannot reach the pedals and the drums at once. Hand drums are better for now.

Signs a child is ready for lessons

• They can copy a clapped rhythm.
• They can sing back a short tune.
• They can stay with one task for five to ten minutes.
• They can follow two-step directions.
• They ask to play.

If these are not in place yet, a group class is the better choice. Nothing is lost by waiting a year.

Toy instruments and real ones

A toy keyboard or a toy guitar is fine for play. Many are out of tune, and that makes them poor tools for learning.

For a child who is taking lessons, use a real instrument in the right size. For play, a few good percussion instruments are worth more than a box of toys that sound bad. Read Orff instruments for home.

Rent the small sizes

A child outgrows a small violin or cello in a year or so. Most families rent until the child reaches full size. Read renting vs buying an instrument and violin sizes for kids.

Things to do together

Copy my clap. Clap a short pattern. Your child claps it back. Make it longer each time.

Freeze dance. Play music and dance. Stop the music, and everyone freezes.

High and low. Play a high note and a low note on any instrument. Ask your child to reach up or crouch down.

March to the beat. Put on a march and walk around the room in time.

Take the quiz. Try the instrument picker quiz together.

Print and play

Read how to choose a first instrument and easiest instruments for a child to learn. For music to play at home, see classical music for toddlers.

For all four families, see instruments of the orchestra for kids.