The best music gift is one a child will pick up again in March. That rules out most plastic toys with a button and a tune. The ideas below are sorted by age. Each one is a kind of thing to look for, with a note on what makes a good one.
No prices are listed, because they change. Many of these gifts cost little.
Before you buy
Three questions sort a good music gift from clutter.
- Does it sound right? A toy xylophone that is out of tune teaches a child the wrong notes. Tap it in the store, or read what buyers say about the tuning.
- Can the child use it alone? A gift that needs an adult every time will sit on the shelf.
- Does it make sound or play sound? A drum makes sound. A toy that plays a recorded song does the work for the child.
Babies and toddlers, ages 0 to 3
- Egg shakers. Small, hard to break, and easy for a tiny hand to hold.
- A small drum or a tambourine. Look for one with no loose parts.
- Scarves for dancing. Light scarves float in time with slow music.
- A music box with a handle to turn. The child makes the tune go and can stop it.
- A recording of lullabies or short classical pieces. See classical music for babies.
Preschoolers, ages 3 to 5
- A glockenspiel or xylophone with true notes. Metal bars and a real scale make it an instrument and not a toy. See Orff instruments for home.
- Rhythm sticks and a hand drum. Enough for a family band.
- Picture books about the orchestra. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss adds one instrument on each page. Welcome to the Symphony by Carolyn Sloan has buttons that play each instrument.
- A story with music. A recording of Peter and the Wolf with a narrator is the classic choice. See Peter and the Wolf instruments.
- Tickets to The Nutcracker or a family concert. See taking kids to The Nutcracker ballet.
Early grades, ages 6 to 8
- A recorder and a beginner book. It is the first wind instrument in many schools.
- A real instrument in the right size. Ask a teacher before you buy. Read how to choose a first instrument and renting vs buying an instrument.
- A metronome. One with a swinging arm is fun to watch. A free one is on this site: the metronome for kids.
- A book with recordings. The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine pairs each instrument and composer with music to hear.
- A notebook of blank music paper. Children who play often want to write their own tunes. Print some from the staff paper maker.
Older kids, ages 9 to 12
- A folding music stand. Reading music from a bed or a chair bends the back and the wrists.
- Sheet music they chose. Film themes and game music in easy versions get played without nagging.
- Good headphones. For a digital piano, they let a child practice at any hour.
- A composer biography. Why Beethoven Threw the Stew by Steven Isserlis tells the lives of six composers with jokes.
- Concert tickets for two. One for the child and one for the adult who takes them.
Teens
- A lesson with a new teacher. One lesson with a jazz pianist or a fiddler can open a new side of an instrument.
- A week at a music camp, or part of the fee.
- Recording time. Some music stores and community studios rent an hour. A recording of a piece they worked on for months is worth keeping.
- Better gear. Strings, a bow, a pedal, or a case. Ask the teacher what would make the most difference.
Gifts that are not things
- Lessons for a term
- A family membership at the local orchestra
- A promise of one concert a season
- An evening when the child picks all the music
What to skip
- Toy instruments that cannot be tuned
- Keyboards with fewer than 61 keys for a child who is taking piano lessons
- A full-size instrument for a small child, bought “to grow into”
- Anything loud with no volume control
Wrap it with a plan
A gift lands better with a time to use it. Tape a note to the box: “First family concert, Saturday at four.” For a practice gift, add a weekly practice chart and a sheet of stickers.
Print and play
All the pages in the printables library are free, and a printed set makes a good small gift. Try the composer cards or a 100 days of practice chart.
For a child at the piano, see gifts for piano students. For a child with a violin, see gifts for violin students. For the teacher, see piano teacher gift ideas.
More from this guide
This article is part of Music lessons for kids: a parent's guide to starting, choosing, and practicing.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.