Easy Christmas piano songs for kids: 12 carols from easiest to hardest

These 12 Christmas tunes are in order from easiest to hardest for a beginner at the piano. The first four stay in one hand position. The last four travel up and down the keys. All 12 are old enough that anyone may print and play them, and easy versions are in most beginner Christmas books.

Start at the top. Move down the list when a tune is steady.

How the list is sorted

A tune is easy for a beginner when three things are true.

• The hands stay in one place on the keys.
• The tune moves by step, from one key to the next, more than by leap.
• The rhythm is even.

Beginner books often share a tune between the two hands, with both thumbs on middle C. The right hand plays the notes above middle C, and the left hand plays the notes below it. Neither hand has to move.

One hand position

1. “Jingle Bells” (the chorus). Put the right thumb on middle C. The chorus begins with finger 3 on E, seven times in a row. The whole chorus uses five keys: C, D, E, F, and G. Read Jingle Bells: letter notes. It is a common first Christmas tune.

2. “Ode to Joy.” It is not a carol, and it is in many Christmas books. Thumb on middle C, starting on E. The tune moves by step, with one dotted rhythm at the end of each line. One low note in the middle goes to the left hand. See Beethoven for kids.

3. “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.” The right hand starts on E. The second line drops lower, and beginner books give those notes to the left hand. The same two rhythms repeat all the way through, so a child who can clap the first two lines can clap the whole song.

4. “Good King Wenceslas.” An even, walking rhythm, with a tune that moves by step most of the time. The low notes go to the left hand. The last line ends with long notes to count.

A wider reach

5. “Up on the Housetop.” Five notes and one more. The tune hops up to the key above the little finger.

6. “Deck the Halls.” The first line comes straight down five keys. The first two notes are long and then short, and that rhythm takes slow practice. The third line climbs higher than the rest.

7. “We Three Kings.” The verse is in a minor key, which sounds darker, and the chorus turns bright. It has three beats in a bar. The two moods make it a good piece for playing soft and then loud.

8. “Away in a Manger.” A gentle tune with three beats in a bar. It starts high and comes down, and it covers about eight keys from top to bottom.

The hand travels

9. “Joy to the World.” The first line is a whole scale going down, eight notes from high C to low C. A finger has to cross over the thumb partway down. Read Joy to the World: letter notes. It is a fine first piece for a child who is learning scales.

10. “Jingle Bells” (the verse). “Dashing through the snow” has wide leaps that the chorus does not. Add it once the chorus is easy.

11. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Three beats in a bar, with a leap up at the start of each line. Each line starts one step higher than the last.

12. “Silent Night.” It sounds simple and is harder than it sounds. The tune covers more than an octave, and it rocks in a long-short rhythm. Play it at a slow speed. Read Silent Night: letter notes.

How to learn one in a week

Day 1. Listen to the tune and sing it. A child who can sing a tune learns it faster.

Day 2. Find the starting note and the hand position. Play line one alone, at a slow speed.

Days 3 and 4. Add one line a day. Play the hard spot three times in a row before playing the whole tune.

Day 5. Play it all at a slow, steady beat. The metronome for kids helps.

Days 6 and 7. Play it for someone. A grandparent on a video call counts.

Ten minutes a day is enough. See how long kids should practice.

If your child cannot read music yet

Many beginner books print the letter name inside each note. A child can also learn by finger number. Finger 1 is the thumb, and finger 5 is the little finger. With the right thumb on middle C, “Jingle Bells” starts 3, 3, 3.

Print a piano keyboard chart and stand it behind the keys. It names every white key.

Which book to buy

Ask the teacher first. Many piano methods publish a Christmas book for each level, and the teacher knows which level fits. A book that is one level too easy is better than one that is too hard, because December is short.

For a child with no teacher, look for the words “pre-reading,” “primer,” or “five-finger” on the cover.

A small recital at home

Pick three tunes from the list. Set out chairs. Have your child announce each title, play, and bow. Read first music recital for more on bowing and nerves.

Print and play

Track the week on a weekly practice chart. Learn where the carols came from in Christmas carols for kids: the stories behind 10 carols.

For more on lessons, see music lessons for kids: a parent’s guide.