How to teach your own child piano: the first ten lessons

A parent can teach a young child the first steps at the piano, even with no training. These ten lessons take about 15 minutes each. Each one has a warm-up, one new idea, a tune, and a game. Teach two or three a week, and repeat any lesson until it feels easy.

Before lesson one

• A piano or a keyboard with full-size keys. Read piano or keyboard for a beginner.
• A seat at the right height. With the hands on the keys, the forearms are level with the floor.
• A footstool or a box for feet that do not reach the floor.
• The piano keyboard chart, standing behind the keys.
• Fifteen minutes at the same time each day.

How each lesson runs

Part	Time	What happens
Warm-up	2 minutes	Repeat one thing from last time
New idea	5 minutes	One new thing, and no more
Tune	5 minutes	Play a tune that uses the new idea
Game	3 minutes	End with something fun

Stop while your child still wants more.

The ten lessons

Lesson 1: the black keys

• New idea. The black keys come in groups of two and three. Find every group.
• Tune. Make up music on the black keys alone. Any black keys sound good together.
• Game. “Bird or bear?” Play high or low, and your child names the animal.

Lesson 2: finger numbers and hand shape

• New idea. Thumbs are 1, and little fingers are 5. The hand is curved, as if it held a small ball. Read piano finger numbers explained and how to sit at the piano.
• Tune. Put right-hand fingers 2, 3, and 4 on a group of three black keys. Play 4, 3, 2. That is the start of “Hot Cross Buns.”
• Game. Call out a number. Your child wiggles that finger on both hands.

Lesson 3: finding C, D, and E

• New idea. C is the white key to the left of the two black keys. D is in the middle of them, and E is on the right.
• Tune. “Hot Cross Buns” on E, D, and C, with fingers 3, 2, and 1.
• Game. Find every C on the piano as fast as you can.

Lesson 4: five fingers on five keys

• New idea. Right thumb on middle C, and one finger on each key up to G.
• Tune. Walk up and down: C, D, E, F, G, F, E, D, C. Say the letters.
• Game. “Simon says play finger 4.”

Lesson 5: a steady beat

• New idea. Music has a beat, like a heartbeat. A one-beat note gets one clap. A two-beat note gets a clap and a hold.
• Tune. “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” starting on E. Hold the long notes for two beats.
• Game. March around the room to a favorite song.

Lesson 6: the left hand

• New idea. Left little finger on the C below middle C, and one finger on each key up to G. The finger numbers run the other way.
• Tune. “Hot Cross Buns” with the left hand: E, D, C with fingers 3, 4, and 5.
• Game. “Mirror.” Play a short pattern with the right hand. Your child copies it with the left.

Lesson 7: loud and soft

• New idea. Press slow and gentle for soft. Drop more weight into the key for loud. The Italian words are “piano” and “forte.”
• Tune. Play a tune you know like a mouse, and then like an elephant.
• Game. “Hot and cold.” Hide a toy. Play louder as your child gets closer.

Lesson 8: steps and skips

• New idea. A step goes to the next key. A skip jumps over one key.
• Tune. Play C, E, G with fingers 1, 3, and 5. Then play C, D, E. Ask which was steps and which was skips.
• Game. Call “step up,” “skip down,” or “same,” and your child plays it.

Lesson 9: notes on the staff

• New idea. Music is written on five lines. Notes sit on a line or in a space. Higher on the page means higher on the piano. Learn middle C, D, and E.
• Tune. Play C, D, and E from a page. Write three notes on big staff paper, and play what you wrote.
• Game. Hold up a note name flashcard for C, D, or E. Your child plays it.

Lesson 10: a tune and a concert

• New idea. A piece has a start and an end. A player bows before and after.
• Tune. The first half of “Ode to Joy.” Read how to play Ode to Joy.
• Game. Family concert. Your child bows, plays three tunes, and bows again.

What a parent can teach, and what a teacher adds

A parent can teach the keyboard, the finger numbers, a steady beat, and a handful of tunes. That is a real start.

A teacher adds the things that are hard to see from the inside.

• Hand and wrist position. Small habits now save trouble later.
• Reading. A teacher has a plan for moving from letters to notes.
• The next piece. A teacher knows which piece comes next and why.
• A fresh ear. Some children work harder for someone who is not their parent.

When to find a teacher

• Your child has finished the ten lessons and wants more.
• You have run out of things you know how to explain.
• Lessons at home have become a tug of war.
• Your child plays with stiff hands or a collapsed wrist, and you are not sure how to fix it.

Read how to choose a music teacher and the best age to start piano lessons.

Tips that help

• One new thing a day. Two is too many.
• Play it wrong on purpose. Let your child catch your mistake.
• Praise the work. “You kept the beat the whole way” says more than “good job.”
• Take turns. You play a line, and then your child plays it.
• Skip a day when you need to. Come back the next day with no fuss.

Print and play

Mark each lesson on a 30-day practice chart. For a plan by the week, read how to teach your child piano at home: the first month. For more tunes, read first piano songs for kids.