Explore our collection of children’s piano songs that help kids learn piano! For children (teens and adults too!), the chance to play a song they already know and love is a great motivator and will often inspire them to want to practice. They’ll already be familiar with the notes and rhythms, so playing the song correctly on the piano will be easier than if they were learning to play a song they’ve never heard before. Children’s songs are also fun to listen to and fun to sing along with.
All of the songs listed in this article are perfect for beginning piano students and will help them joyfully grow their piano skills.
Easy children’s piano songs
Seasonal / Holiday
Ring in the New Year with this holiday favorite! Download the free sheet music for “Auld Lang Syne.” You can choose either a solo version or a duet version with an accompaniment for a teacher or parent to play.
Learn the delightful “Deck the Halls” by downloading this free sheet music and watching the video tutorial.
Ready to go for a sleigh ride? Beginning pianists can play the chorus of “Jingle Bells” with this free piano sheet music and video tutorial. Did you know that “Jingle Bells” was originally sung at Thanksgiving time? Learn more about “Jingle Bells” and explore all of our arrangements of this fun holiday favorite!
Nursery rhymes / lullabies
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” is set to a charming French folk tune that’s often one of the first melodies a child will learn on the piano. The English lyrics are a beautiful expression of childlike wonder for a starry night sky. You can download the free sheet music, learn to play it with our video tutorial, and also download a duet version with an accompaniment for a teacher or parent to play.
“Mary Had a Little Lamb” is another delightful children’s song with a simple tune that even the earliest beginner can learn to play. With our sheet music download, learn to play the melody with the right hand, and then when you’re ready, you can add the left hand playing the chords written on the bass staff. Mr Hoffman’s video tutorials will help you learn both the melody and the accompaniment.
Ready for some barnyard fun? Beginning piano students will love learning this favorite sing-along song. Download the free sheet music for “Old MacDonald,” and you can also get an accompaniment part for a parent or teacher to play.
Popular
Celebrate someone’s special day with our sheet music for the “Happy Birthday” song! Children can learn the melody for this song with our video tutorial, and a parent or teacher can play along with our accompaniment. We also have more advanced arrangements for the “Happy Birthday” song, including an elementary, early intermediate, late intermediate, and a duet version!
The enchanting melody of “Für Elise” is simple enough for the earliest beginner to play. This sheet music for “Für Elise” includes a detailed fingering chart to help children know where to place their hands, and letter names for each note. Our super easy video tutorial will guide your child step-by-step as they learn.
The fun and energetic “Chopsticks” is a piano favorite. How fast can you play it? Download the free sheet music, watch the video tutorial, and then download and play along with the backing track included on the tutorial page for even more fun!
“Ode to Joy,” Beethoven’s grand anthem from his 9th symphony, has a brilliantly simple melody that is easy and delightful to play. Our sheet music provides a perfect arrangement for piano beginners. A series of two video tutorials will help children learn the melody and then a simple accompaniment.
Worship
This free, super easy piano arrangement of “Amazing Grace” has a finger placement chart to help beginners get started. Watch the tutorial video to learn how to play this beloved hymn. We also have sheet music and video tutorials for more experienced piano players to learn this song, including elementary level, early intermediate level, and a duet version.
Children can learn to play this inspiring hymn with our easy, free downloadable sheet music. You can also download a free duet version that includes an accompaniment for a parent or teacher to play.
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
This beloved hymn pairs moving lyrics written by a British preacher in the 1700’s with a beautiful American folk tune. This super easy arrangement is written in the key of C, and includes a keyboard fingering chart to help young students get started.
Traditional / Folk
This traditional American song celebrates the beauty of a beloved homeland. For a hundred years, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” was the unofficial national anthem of the United States of America before it was replaced by “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1931. Our free sheet music download includes a fingering chart and lyrics for the first verse.
Sing along as you play this lively dance tune! Our sheet music for “Skip to My Lou” will help young piano players practice playing in skips (third intervals).
Have fun playing this jaunty folk song. Originally, “Yankee Doodle” was a British parody of American soldiers during the French and Indian War. It was later adopted as an American patriotic song, and is still popular today. Our free sheet music downloads include a duet version with an accompaniment part for a parent or teacher to play.
Skill-building tips for young learners
Young children learn piano best with the guidance of a parent or older sibling at their side. Here are some tips for building the piano skills your child will need to become a confident musician.
Piano Learning basics
When it comes to piano, there’s a lot to learn! Our free Piano Learning Essentials for Beginners packet has everything you need to get started. Here’s what you’ll find in the packet:
Piano Posture Checklist
Develop good habits at the keyboard from the beginning with our Piano Posture Checklist. This guide will give your child simple visual reminders of how to sit, use their arms, and shape their hands for healthy and comfortable piano playing.
Music Alphabet Flashcards
Learn how to order the letters of the musical alphabet both forward and backward, starting on any letter. This skill is key to reading and understanding music.
Solfège Hand Sign Reference Sheet
At Hoffman Academy, we love using solfège as a way to help piano students develop a musical ear and learn the relationships between notes in the scale.
Rhythm Words Guide
Counting rhythms can be a breeze for even the earliest beginner with our rhythm words guide. These rhythm words develop an innate sense of rhythm in the young learner by focusing on the sound of each rhythm rather than the mathematical value. This will lay a strong foundation for students to count beats and learn meter later on.
Grand Staff Guide
Use this guide to instantly locate a note on the keyboard or the staff. Think of it as your ultimate map to the piano!
Piano Street
Take a walk on Piano Street, Mr. Hoffman’s fun and easy way to remember the note names of all the keys on the keyboard. Post this reference chart near your piano while your child is learning their notes.
Pentascale Guide
Learn to play all major and minor pentascales with this colorful, easy-to-read guide. Pentascales are the first step to playing full-octave scales, and help students learn their key signatures and how musical scales are constructed. Letter names written on a piano keyboard will show students exactly where to place their fingers.
Download your free Piano Learning Essentials for Beginners packet for 13 pages of these great resources for students, parents, and teachers!
Ear training
Learning music begins with listening. When children know how a song should sound before they play it on the piano, they’ll be able to tell right away if they’re playing it correctly! That’s why we believe that ear training is so important. When your child is learning a song on the piano, be sure that they listen to it often. Have them sing along with a recording of the song to further reinforce the melody in their mind. This approach works especially well with children’s piano songs, since kids are often already familiar with the melodies.
For more tips on helping your child develop a musical ear, read “Getting Started with Ear Training.”
Improvisation
Learning to play the piano without improvisation is like learning to speak a language without being able to have a casual conversation. Poems, speeches, and great literature are all wonderful, but most of our day-to-day use of language is simply expressing what we think and feel in the moment. In the same way, think of playing piano pieces like reciting musical poetry, and think of improvisation as expressing what you think and feel by playing notes you choose on the piano!
Young children will enjoy improvisation games at the piano. Ask them to make the piano sound like a mouse, or like a cat, or like an elephant. See if they can make happy sounds, sad sounds, scary sounds, or any other emotion they want to express.
Learn more about improvisation at the piano.
Chords
One of the most amazing things about the piano is that you can use it to play chords! Many instruments can only play one note at a time, while others can play a few, but a piano player can use their fingers to play ten notes at a time! Playing piano chords adds a richer sound to any melody.
For beginners, start with a single note in the bass line, as in our arrangement for “Ode to Joy.” When you’re ready to learn more piano chords, try our Ultimate Piano Chord Chart. You can also read “How to Read and Play Piano Chords” and “How to Play Easy I-IV-V Piano Chords” for more guidance on how to play and use piano chords.
Scales
Beginning piano students should focus on learning their pentascales. These scales, made up of the first five notes of each musical scale, are simple to play and build a strong foundation for learning music theory and moving on to the full octave scales. Download our free Pentascale Guide to easily learn all major and minor pentascales.
As your child advances in their music learning, they’ll be ready for full octave scales. Download our One Book of All Piano Scales to explore major, all three types of minor, pentatonic, blues scales, and more!
Performance and piano recital tips
While it’s fun to play the piano for yourself, it can be even more fun to play the piano for others! If you have your child in private lessons, most teachers will plan recitals for their students. If not, you can put on your very own piano party.
Help your child experience the joy of sharing music by preparing them well to perform. It’s natural to be a little nervous about playing in front of others, so here are some tips:
- Help your child choose a performance piece that they can play comfortably and confidently. Children’s piano songs are often ideal choices for first recitals.
- Encourage your child to practice performing in front of a small audience of family members, friends, or even some favorite toys.
- Remind them that it’s okay to make mistakes, and that when performing you don’t stop and correct wrong notes, just keep playing with a smile!
For more tips on preparing for performances, read “Piano Recital Prep 101.”
Ready to play more? Next steps for piano learners
Hoffman Academy’s series of free video lessons help piano learners gain all the skills they need to become confident musicians for life. Students will benefit the most from our Premium music education program, which supports the video lessons with daily practice instructions, and includes free access to hundreds of resources in our online store, including sheet music, worksheets, flashcards, reference guides, games, and more. Hoffman Academy Premium also features fun piano games online that develop rhythm, note reading, and music dictation skills. Learn more and sign up to start your child’s musical journey today!