You know how nice it is to listen to piano music, let alone play the instrument itself. It’s a great fun activity to learn, especially for children who are always curious to do things by tinkering; and turn them into something good.
Although you can start playing the piano at any age, learning while young compliments other developmental stages in cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence, and individual creativity. Even if your kids don’t become the Chopin or Beethoven of their generation, playing the piano can blossom into a passion or a musical career later in their lives.
To get the kids excited, they can begin to learn easy piano songs that gradually develop their basic skills while having a blast in the process.
Easy nursery rhymes and lullabies
Twinkle twinkle, little star
A classic, Twinkle twinkle is always a hit with kids, especially when teaching them to sing and play it on the piano. If you didn’t know, it uses the same melody as the Baa baa Black Sheep and Alphabet song.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
C C G G A A G
How I wonder what you are
F F E E D D C
Up above the world so high
G G F F E E D
Like a diamond in the sky
G G F F E E D
Download Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on Piano – PDF
Download Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on Piano – JPG
Mary had a little lamb
A beautiful kids’ nursery rhyme, this song tells a story of a girl taking her little lamb to school. The simple tune makes it a good beginner piece for your child to practice and memorize.
Mary had a little lamb
E D C D E E E
Little lamb, little lamb
D D D E G G
Mary had a little lamb
E D C D E E E
Its fleece was white as snow
E D D E D C
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Many kids are familiar with this song, and they can’t wait to play it on the piano while their parents perform the climbing actions using silly hand gestures.
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
G C C C D E E E D C D E C
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
E E F G G F E F G E
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
C C D E E D C D E C
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again
G G C C C D E E E D C D E C
Easy celebratory song
Happy birthday to you
Arguably the easiest piano song there is, you will play it at least once a year on your birthday and during the birthdays of your family and friends.
Happy birthday to you
G G A G C B
Happy birthday to you
G G A G D C
Happy birthday to dear (name of person)
G G G E C B A
Happy birthday to you!
F F E C D C
Easy instrumental songs
Chopsticks
All piano students have gone through learning to play Chopsticks. Even non-piano players can handle this tune. If you’re wondering, it’s named as such because your hand resembles holding chopstick utensils as you strike the piano keys.
GF GF GF GF GF GF
GE GE GE GE GE GE
BD BD BD BD
AE BD Cc Cc Cc Cc
BD AE
Prelude in C major
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude in C major is one of the easiest key pieces that even kids can play on the piano using both hands.
C^E G C E G C E
C^E G C E G C E
C^D A D F A D F
C^D A D F A D F
B^D G D F G D F
B^D G D F G D F
Fur Elise
If you’ve tried Bach, why not Beethoven? Surprisingly, this famous piano piece is an easy piano song that uses both hands to produce a pleasing sound.
E Eb E Eb E B- D C A-
C- E- A- B-
E- Ab- B- C
E- E Eb E Eb E B- D C A-
C- E- A- B-
E- C B- A-
Easy gospel music
Hallelujah
While many easy piano songs can be played using just a single hand, this one takes it up a notch by involving the left hand for the chords and the right hand for the song’s melody.
Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
G G G G G G A-A A
That David played and it pleased the Lord
E G-G G G A E E A
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
A A A A-A A G G-F G E
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifith
G G G G G A A B
The minor fall, the major lift
B ^C ^C ^C ^C ^D ^C ^D
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
^C ^D ^D ^D ^D ^D ^D ^D ^E ^D ^D ^C
Easy Christmas carols
Jingle Bells
This high-energy song has repetitive notes that are easy to remember. Even if you have no piano knowledge, you can also play it by melody.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
E E E E E E E G C D E
Oh what fun it is to ride
F F F F F E E
In a one horse open sleigh, hey!
E E E D D E D G
Joy to the world
While this upbeat Christmas hymn would be played using both hands that lend to its richer sound, it can be an easy piano song with its simple pattern and repetitive verses.
Joy to the world, the Lord has come
C B A G F E D C
Let earth receive her king
G A A B B C
Let every heart prepare him room
C C B A G G F E C C B A G G F E
And heaven and nature sing
E E E E F G
Easy traditional folk songs
Drunken Sailor
This song was popular in the early 1800s, which actual sailors sang while sailing away. The steady rhythm with the perky melody can be infectious, so don’t be surprised if you find that you can get it out of your head.
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
A5 A A A A A A D1 F3 A5
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
G G G G G G G C1 E3 G5
What will we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning?
A2 A A A A A A B3 C4 D5 C4 A2 G1 F2 D1 D1
If You’re Happy and You Know It
This song is a famous campy tune where you can practice your low Cs. It also includes a B flat, making it less than simple to play. Apart from that, it is a very easy piano tune.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
C C G G G G G G F G A
If you’re happy and you know it
A A Bb Bb Bb Bb D D
Then your face will surely show it
Bb Bb A A A G F F
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
A A G G G F E E D E F
Easy pop songs
Havana
You can play this Cuban-inspired pop song with a little bit of complexity, so it’s not as easy per se, but once you get the hang of it, it will be a piece of cake, even for your little one.
Havana, ooh na na
G- B- B G G- E
Half of my heart is in
B A B ^C B A
Havana, ooh na na
G- B- B G G- E
He took me back to East
B A B ^C B A
Atlanta ooh na na
G- B- B G G- E
Oh but my heart is in Havana
B A B ^C B A G- B- G
Look what you made me do
This catchy Taylor Swift song is an easy play for the piano. The repeated chords paired with the energetic singing make for one entertaining piece.
Oh look what you made me do
C+ C+ B C+ B C+ A
Look what you made me do
C+ B C+ B C+ A
Look what you just made me do
C+ B C+ B C+ B C+ B
Look what you just made me
B C+ B B C+
Easy classics
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Kids can nail even a timeless classic on the piano quite easily.
While it is often played with a ukulele, it is also a great piano song that you can learn in a flash.
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
A- ^A ^G# ^E# ^F# ^G#- ^A A ^F# ^E
There’s a land that I heard of
F# ^D ^C# A B ^C# ^D
Once in a lullaby
B G# A B- ^C#- A
Somewhere over the rainbow
A- ^A ^G# ^E# ^F# ^G#- ^A
Yesterday
This wildly popular Beatles song that countless artists have covered is a relatively easy piano song favorite. It calls for basic arpeggios or chords with individually struck notes.
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
G F F ^A B C# D E F E D D
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
D D C B A G ^B A A
Oh I believe in yesterday
G F ^A G D ^F A A
Things to remember when learning to play piano songs
- Music reading
The first step in playing the piano is reading notes and chords. Once your kid does, playing the piano becomes easier for them. All they need are sheet music and regular practice. Also, it will help your kid if you put sticky labels on piano keys indicating their corresponding notes. They can start with songs played on white keynotes only using the right hand until they can progress to chords, which will involve two hands.
- Practice, practice, practice
Practicing scales that improve finger strokes and hand coordination are key, pun intended. It’s like you are giving them good exercise. It preps the fingers for repetitive keys and stretches them when you need to reach farther notes. Remember to use the finger that best corresponds to each key. When practicing, breaking down the song into sections may facilitate this activity. It also helps if you pick out songs that they enjoy singing.
- Explore chord variations
As you know, you cannot strike just one key at a time for many beautiful songs. Most of them will require hitting three-note patterns or triads simultaneously as you scale up your piano skills. Chords are often viewed as the vocal accompaniment. They are what the left hand would play while the right hand takes care of the song’s melody.
- Try winging it
Sometimes, you don’t need to have the sheet music; you just have to hear it to interpret it. Although not everyone can play it by ear at first, you can achieve it with persistent effort and a desire to learn. That is why melodies are important since you can take them from there. Meanwhile, if you think you’re tone-deaf or clinically diagnosed, you might wonder if you can still play the piano effectively. While it can be a challenge, there’s still hope, relying on your memory. Again, it may even enhance your ability to play it by ear with practice.
Final thoughts
After you’ve exposed your kid to our handpicked easy piano songs, we’re quite sure they’ll want even more. Just advise them to keep working on their scales, and before you know it, they will be putting in their own spin on the notes and chords; even play the piano on the fly. As long as they like what they hear, it should be good enough. Best of all, every playing opportunity will display their progress.
