Best Piano for Kids

Top Tips and Things to Consider Before Purchasing Best Piano for Kids

Are you looking for the best piano for kids to learn music? You have so many great options to choose from, but this post can help you easily pinpoint the best piano to take home for your kids.

There are many things to consider before picking a unit. The first thing to consider is your child’s age. The best age for a child to start learning to play the piano is between 6 – 9 years old, though some parents prefer to start teaching their children earlier than six years old.

Remember to keep it simple when deciding the unit to pick because too many special effects or features might be overwhelming to your child, so much so that they eventually lose their interest in the end.

After all, learning to read and play 88 notes can already be overwhelming for them. So, when choosing a piano for your child, do not get overexcited with the ones that include many features.

Related: Read up on what features to look for in a best piano for kids prior to purchasing.

Top Pianos for Kids and Toddlers

Here are our top three choices for best pianos for kids:

Yamaha Piaggero NP-32

Photo courtesy of Yamaha

When looking for the best first piano for kids, you want to check those units that are slim, light, and compact. The NP-32 from Yamaha is one such unit.

The NP32 is a portable keyboard with 76 keys. The color is black all around the unit, and it has dimensions 49 x 10.18 x 4.12 inches and a weight of only 19.6 pounds.

This Yamaha piano unit is well-loved for its ability to produce a multitude of sounds that children love to play and listen to. It is a graded soft-touch keyboard that plays a lot of sounds produced via a built-in stereo speaker system.

This Yamaha piano also rocks when it comes to aesthetics and portability. It sports a shiny black color that borders the unit all around.  Also, it can be conveniently carried and moved by a child around the age of seven.

You may want to check the kind of sound that the NP-32 produces. By all means, do carefully check the quality of sound.

Users say that the sound is a bit thin and lacks bass and midrange. Yet, some users say that the tone this piano produces is pleasing to hear.

Thus, it does not sound like a grand piano out of the box, but you can do something to achieve that effect.

You can use a keyboard amp or high-quality headphones to achieve a rich sound like a grand piano. That is what most users do to get around the issue of the thin sound.

The NP-32’s keys are not weighted but Graded Soft Touch (GST), although you can feel varied resistance from them. If you prefer weighted keys, you will still not be disappointed with the NP-32 keys. They are close enough to feel like weighted keys, and they are much better than non-resistive keys.

This product is highly recommended for people looking for a realistic piano sound for their children. It is only that they should be willing to add accessories, such as high-quality headphones or a basic keyboard amp.

This keyboard has a nice key feel, sounds great, and does not produce distracting sounds (no poor sounds, bells, whistles, and rhythms). It comes with 76 and 61 versions, both of which can work for kids for several years until deciding to move on to something more serious.

Pros:

• Great appearance
• Lightweight
• Graded Soft Touch (GST)
• Touch sensitivity is nice (Light press produces quiet sound; hard press produces louder sound)
• Battery-powered (AA)
• IMHO the best piano for kids who are starting out

Cons:

• Keys feel sticky (Solution: Use furniture polish on the keys.)
• Keys produce an audible “click” sound
• Tiny sound, out of the box
• The phones that come with the unit are less than basic (inaudible volume, so you will be forced to buy separate high-quality headphones).

Baby Einstein Magic Touch Toy Piano

Photo courtesy of Baby Einstein

This Baby Einstein unit is recommended by no less than the child-development specialist Dr. Sarah Roseberry Lytle. She said that it is a good pick for children because they love making music, adding that children love to explore things like:

• “Can I make the sound softer or louder?”
• “What will happen if I hit a key harder?”

Dr. Sarah says that, overall, it is a child-learning process that parents should take advantage of.

This small unit is designed for children six months and up and features six different songs and three music sheets. Also, it is a wooden piano that is child-safe with its chemical-free and durable materials.

Baby Einstein units come with different versions, so check those other units out. They have units designed for three months+ and units designed for 12 months+. Further, versions differ by the number of melodies featured, with 150+ melodies being the highest.

The company says their units are suitable for toddlers up to 2 years old.

The basic version Magic Touch comes with a very low price of $22 but is imbued with a host of features, including high-quality, built-in speakers. Children can make a different music when they tap on each color. It also allows them to create their own musical pieces or follow along with classic melodies.

Remember that it is made of wood, so this unit is quite heavy. It is about 4 pounds, so be careful not to place it on a play table. If your child pulls it off, it might hurt his feet.

If the little boy puts it on his lap instead, it can swing because of its weight and cause the wooden plank to hit your child’s head. Make sure you do not let your young one play with this piano toy unsupervised.

On the positive side, you will love that it is a very well-made and durable product. Other than the possibility of being hit by a hard plank of wood while your child plays this piano, you will love that the durability of this unit is nothing but exceptional.

Pros:

• Easy to wipe down and clean – Do not immerse this product in water when cleaning. Just wipe it with a damp cloth with mild soap.
• Sturdy music sheets – Your child can not create a crease in the plastic covering.
• Pleasing design
• Satisfying feeling when pressing the keys

Cons:

• Needs adult supervision
• Legs of the piano have sharp edges (Imagine tripping and landing on this piano when it’s upside down.

Melissa & Doug Mini Grand Piano

Photo courtesy of Melissa & Doug

Another adorable and sturdy to check out is the Mini-Grand Piano from Melissa and Doug, a company founded more than 25 years ago. They consistently deliver innovative products that encourage open-ended and offer kids countless ways to play.

This Mini-Grand piano version is also a sturdy unit made from high-quality wood, metal, and plastic. These materials combined along with its 30 hand-tuned keys produce a great pitch that is not too loud to be annoying but loud enough for your child to hear and enjoy.

Along with that, you also have a piano that highlights an ideal introduction to music for kids. It also comes with a color-coded chart and a songbook that is easy to understand and play.

Pros:

• The bench that this piano comes with does not tip over easily.
• Keys are labeled for easier learning.
• Although the keys it has do not sound close to an actual piano, it does not produce an annoying or off-putting sound.

Cons:

• Some keys seem a little loose.
• Multicolor notes above the keys are loosely glued.

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