10 Of The Best Piano Books For Kids In 2024

Written by Dan Farrant
Last updated

Are you looking for some piano books that are suitable for children? Are you looking for a method book that covers essential techniques or maybe some repertoire books that are suitable for beginners with small hands?

Well, if you’re looking for the best piano books for kids, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ve put together a list of all the best ones suitable for children to help you choose which book to go for.

So, whether your child is a complete beginner or already has some experience playing the piano, these books will help them develop their skills and progress further in their musical journey. Let’s get started!

1. Primer Level – Lesson Book

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Piano Adventures - Lesson Book - Primer Level
6,578 Reviews
Piano Adventures – Lesson Book – Primer Level
  • Softcover
  • 64 pages
  • Size: 12″ x 9″

Piano Adventures is a standard series of piano books, and the Primer Level is perfect for young beginners. Your child will learn the notes on the keyboard as well as some basic music theory.

The student part is easy to follow, and there are plenty of teacher duets to play in lessons. This book covers how to make the right-hand position and how to sit at the piano when playing. It also explains the finger numbers, which your child will use as they advance in their piano studies.

Pros

  • Easy to follow
  • Good for young kids
  • Affordable
  • Landscape mode

Cons

  • Not for older kids
  • A bit slow

2. Beginner Piano Lessons for Kids Book

Beginner Piano Lessons for Kids Book: with Online Video & Audio Access
  • Wamsted, Jay (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 51 Pages – 09/24/2018 (Publication Date) – Independently published (Publisher)

If your child can’t take piano lessons, you should consider Beginner Piano Lessons for Kids. This book comes with access to online video and audio lessons. That way, your child can still learn as if they had a teacher.

It’s perfect for kids between 5 and 11 years old, and it starts with just the right hand. After the student gets used to that, they can add their left hand. The book combines traditional notation with finger notation to help students learn to read music.

Pros

  • Good for older kids
  • It starts with one hand
  • Audio and video lessons
  • Suitable for use without a private teacher

Cons

  • It doesn’t teach note names
  • Not the best for absolute beginners

3. My First Keyboard – Learn To Play: Kids

My First Keyboard - Learn To Play: Kids
2,603 Reviews
My First Keyboard – Learn To Play: Kids
  • Parker, Ben (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 42 Pages – 05/01/2013 (Publication Date) – Kyle Craig Publishing (Publisher)

Another excellent piano book for kids is My First Keyboard. Ben Parker wrote the book specifically for absolute beginners. It teaches the first notes and helps you learn fun songs and learn how to read music.

You also get to learn some basic music theory, such as time signatures. However, the book does use British terms, which can be confusing for students in the US. You’ll want to get another book with American terms so that you can use both systems.

Pros

  • Colorful book
  • Easy to use
  • For beginners
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Some weird images in the book
  • Uses British music terms

4. Teaching Little Fingers to Play

Teaching Little Fingers to Play uses simple melodies to teach your child the piano. The melodies are also easy for young players to perform with small hands. It includes a note to parents to help their kids succeed, and there’s a matching duet book for parents who play the piano.

The first few exercises start to use the treble clef so that students can learn music theory. While that’s nice, it can be a bit overwhelming for some younger players. It’s also not as colorful as some books, so it might look boring to kids.

Pros

  • Starts off with music theory
  • Has written content for teachers and parents
  • Optional a parent duet book
  • Landscape orientation

Cons

  • Somewhat boring
  • Not for young kids

5. Easy Keyboard and Piano Pieces

Easy Keyboard and Piano Pieces: 30 Easy-to-play Pieces for Beginners
  • Jester, John (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 40 Pages – 05/10/2016 (Publication Date) – CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)

A lot of the best piano books for kids are method books. However, if your child wants more music to play, consider Easy Keyboard and Piano Pieces. This book doesn’t focus on music theory or piano lessons.

Instead, it includes songs like Twinkle, Twinkle, and Old McDonald. That makes it an excellent supplemental book for kids.

Pros

  • Tons of short songs
  • One-handed melodies
  • Easy to read
  • Has note names

Cons

  • No lesson materials
  • Not the only book you should use

6. Piano Book for Kids 5 & Up – Beginner Level

Piano Book for Kids 5 & Up – Beginner Level: Learn to Play Famous Piano Songs, Easy Pieces & Fun Music, Piano Technique, Music…
  • Ferrante, Damon (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 106 Pages – 04/25/2018 (Publication Date) – Steeplechase Arts (Publisher)

Another excellent piano book for kids is this one, the Piano Book for Kids 5 & Up. It includes songs like Happy Birthday and Yankee Doodle, so your child can have fun at the piano. You’ll also get access to video lessons for your child to watch.

The book teaches you how to recognize the keys on the piano. It also introduces music theory, playing posture, and other concepts.

Pros

  • Comes with video lessons
  • Great for school kids
  • Easy to use
  • Nice structure

Cons

  • May require help from a parent
  • Not for young kids

7. Alfred’s Basic Piano Course Lesson Book Level 1A

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Alfred’s Basic Piano Course Lesson Book Level 1A (Alfred’s Basic Piano Library)
  • Used Book in Good Condition
  • Willard A. Palmer (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

Alfred’s Basic Piano Course is an excellent start to a series of piano books. Like some materials, it uses the British system for music terminology. That can be confusing if your child already knows some American terms.

It includes a diagram of how to sit at the piano and how the piano works. You also get to learn some basic music theory. For even more direction, you can buy the coordinating books on composition and ear training.

Pros

  • Good explanations
  • Easy to follow
  • Has coordinating books
  • Great for use in lessons

Cons

  • Uses British terms
  • A bit too wide when open

8. Pop Songs for Kids

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Pop Songs for Kids
  • Easy Piano
  • Pages: 154
  • Instrumentation: Piano/Keyboard

If your kid has a bit of piano experience, they may like Pop Songs for Kids. This book contains songs such as Shake It Off and Let It Go. The songs are written for easy piano, so they may not include all of the parts the full version would.

However, the notation is large, so your child can easily see the notes. It also includes the lyrics if your child wants to sing along as they play the instrumentals.

Pros

  • Large notation
  • Contains fun songs
  • Good for kids with some experience
  • Easy piano versions

Cons

  • Not for absolute beginners
  • Songs are from years ago

9. Easy Keyboard Pieces For Kids

Easy Keyboard Pieces For Kids: 40 Simple Keyboard Pieces For Beginners -> Easy Keyboard Songbook For Kids (Simple Keyboard Sheet…
  • Johnson, Thomas (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 49 Pages – 07/23/2019 (Publication Date) – Independently published (Publisher)

Another excellent book of short pieces to try is Easy Keyboard Pieces for Kids. It covers standards from Jingle Bells to The Muffin Man. The book includes the note names on the note heads to help your child learn music theory.

Melodies are only in the right hand. However, there are letters above the staff that represent chords, so your child can play those in the left hand. You’ll also see the lyrics to sing along.

Pros

  • Plenty of fun songs
  • Easy to follow
  • Good for beginners
  • Note names
  • Chord letters

Cons

  • Requires a bit of experience
  • Not a lesson book (just repertoire)

10. Piano-K. Play the Self-Teaching Piano Game for Kids

Piano-K. Play the Self-Teaching Piano Game for Kids. Level 1
  • Victoria Mandly (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 14 Pages – 09/30/2015 (Publication Date) – Piano-K (Publisher)

A lot of piano books work best when your child has a private teacher. However, Piano-K works without access to lessons. It uses colors and symbols to help teach the notes on the keyboard.

You or your child will need to put stickers on the correct keys. That way, your child will know which keys to press without having to learn the note names.

Pros

  • Good for self-teaching
  • Uses colors and symbols
  • Fun songs

Cons

  • Not much music theory
  • Requires a bit of music experience

Conclusion: Which One Should You Buy?

That’s it for our list of kid-friendly piano books. We hope it helped narrow down your choices a bit.

If you’re still on the fence about which one to go for, we’d recommend opting for the Piano Adventures Primer Level, which is really good for kids.

It’s easy to follow and helps them learn as slowly as they need to while having fun. However, the book can be a bit slow for older kids.

As all these books are relatively cheap, we recommend trying a few method books to help your child or student find the best one for them. That way, they’ll be able to learn how to play the piano well, and they can enjoy it.

After a few weeks of playing, get a book with more songs, like Pop Songs for Kids or Easy Keyboard Pieces for Kids. Then, they’ll have even more music to play to look forward to practicing.

Sale
Piano Adventures - Lesson Book - Primer Level
6,578 Reviews
Piano Adventures – Lesson Book – Primer Level
  • Softcover
  • 64 pages
  • Size: 12″ x 9″
Photo of author

Dan Farrant, the founder of Hello Music Theory, has been teaching music for over 15 years, helping hundreds of thousands of students unlock the joy of music. He graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and then launched Hello Music Theory in 2014. He plays the guitar, piano, bass guitar and double bass and loves teaching music theory.