When a child starts learning to play the piano, it’s important to set them up for success early on. We’re going to share the best piano books for kids that will help them learn basic piano playing skills along with familiar, fun, and easy songs.
To support your child’s learning and keep things interesting, grab a few books for them, let them help you choose which books they’d like, and check out the tips we share at the end of this article on how to encourage your child’s success. a new pianist.
You are reading: Beginning piano books for kids
You may also be interested in: the five best piano songs for children
what are the best piano books for children?
With so many piano books out there, we’ve taken the guesswork out of it for you. These are our favorite piano books for beginners:
- a dozen a day
- little pianist: children’s piano songbook
- play it! nursery rhymes – a super quick way to learn awesome songs
- piano book for kids ages 5 & up; up – beginner level
- alfred’s basic piano library: lesson book level 1a
- easy piano sheet music for kids
- the beatles for kids – easy piano
a dozen a day
Of all the children’s piano books, A Dozen a Day is one of the most universally recognized. While most of the books below are newer, we wanted to include this one because it pairs well with songbooks, providing warm-up exercises before practicing the songs. A Dozen a Day is the first book in a series that will push your child’s knowledge a little further.
topic: warm-up activities and basic piano techniques
See Also: The Book of Magic – Alice Hoffman
ages: beginners of all ages
why read this: helps new pianists learn basic techniques and warm up before practicing.
little pianist: piano songbook for children
Little Pianist is a #1 bestseller in new age music. It’s the perfect book for your little pianist to have on hand to play tons of beginner songs, including “Five Little Monkeys,” “I Love You, You Love Me,” and “Jack and Jill.” It also includes free audio to download to help define the melody of the songs.
theme: miscellaneous songs with notes and audio
ages: 5 – 12 years old
Why Read This:Provides short pieces of piano music for beginners ranging from easy to challenging along with downloadable audio to accompany the songs.
play! nursery rhymes – a super quick way to learn awesome songs
Play It! is one of our favorite beginner piano books for kids because it offers a fun and easy way to master the piano or keyboard. Helpful instructions with color-coded notes and character icons make it easy to follow. also includes piano sheet music for popular and favorite songs and an introduction to reading sheet music. songs include “mary had a little lamb”, “the little spider” and more.
See Also: John Gray – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com
topic: piano songs and helpful instructions
ages: 5 – 10 years old
why read it? provides helpful tips and instructions along with sheet music for many popular children’s songs.
easy piano sheet music for kids
If you’re looking for a first songbook, easy piano sheet music for kids is perfect! teaches new pianists how to play classics like “Happy Birthday,” “Jingle Bells,” and “This Little Light of Mine.”
theme: classic piano songs
ages: reading age is 13-18, but the songs are easy enough for any beginner
why read this: provides 40 easy and familiar songs for beginning pianists.
piano book for children 5 & top – beginner level
piano book for children 5 & up is one of the longest children’s piano instruction books on our list. provides famous piano pieces, easy and fun songs, piano techniques, and music theory. also provides lessons on how to read music in the book and video lessons that you can stream for your child or student.
theme: piano instruction books with songs
ages: 5 – 12 years old
Why Read This: It covers just about everything beginning pianists need, from songs to performance techniques and music theory to lessons. lessons are provided through text and video.
alfred’s basic piano library: lesson book level 1a
Although Alfred’s Basic Piano Library is several years old, it is one of the best piano books for very young beginners. the book and cd were created specifically with a young student in mind. The entire book is divided into steps that build on each other to make it easy to determine when your child understands a concept and is ready to move on.
topic: kids piano songs with tips for learning proper playing habits
See Also: The Book of Magic – Alice Hoffman
ages: beginners of all ages
why read it: provides almost everything a beginning pianist needs to know to play the songs in the book and also comes with a cd.
the beatles for kids – easy piano
do you have a mini beatles lover? Or maybe you want to introduce your little pianist to the good stuff? The Beatles for Kids: Easy Piano might just be one of our most unique best piano books for kids. songs include “blackbird”, “good morning sun”, “here comes the sun” and more. this book also provides practical tips for learning each song.
theme: beatles piano songs
ages: 8 – 12 years old
why read this: helps children learn to play a new genre of songs on the piano.
you may also be interested in: piano keyboard layout: a useful guide for beginners
tips to help children learn to play the piano
While the best piano books for kids on this list are great tools, here are some other things you can do to help your child or student learn the piano.
- praise them for working hard.
- sign them up to work with a professional piano teacher.
- give them positive feedback.
- help them ask them to establish a consistent practice schedule.
- allow them to take breaks if they seem discouraged or stressed.
The main goal is to promote a fun learning and play experience for your child. Using these strategies to support your little pianist as he develops his piano playing skills will set him up for success!
photo of sid cattaneo