Let Your Child Step Into the World of Music With a Kids' Guitar

There is no starting age for kids to start learning how to play the guitar. They can have a guitar in their hands as long as they’re strong enough to hold its weight. That’s why there are plenty of different guitar models, specially designed for kids. They come in different shapes, sizes and colours, so you can get a child’s red guitar, or yellow, pink and more. The sooner the kid starts, the sooner he or she will improve and it will only get easier and more fun with time.

The Benefits of Your Child Learning How to Play the Guitar

Learning to play the guitar is not only a musical, but also, a physical and mental process that has a lot of benefits in the coordination of fine motor skills and helps in your child’s cognitive, emotional and social development. It’s very important to take it easy and let your child learn step by step, making the whole experience interesting and fun.

The best advice is not to make guitar practice feels like an obligation to your kid and let the process itself instil confidence and discipline, which will lead to a wonderful sense of achievement for your kid, and selecting the right guitar will help your kid to pave its way to success.

How to Choose the Right Guitar for Your Child

According to some studies whether or not a person takes up an instrument depends on the first couple of months of playing, especially for children with a short attention span. Since the first months are the most crucial for a child learning to play the guitar, it’s most important to select a beginner guitar that will suit them. Here are some tips that will help you make the right choice and introduce your child to the guitar world.

Consider the Playability of the Instrument

Make sure you choose a guitar that has been inspected and adjusted for easy playability. The guitar should have strings that are tuned ideally for a child to play. Mostly these kinds of guitars come right out of the box, you just need to take the guitar out, tune it up, stretch the strings and it’s ready for your child to play. Many of them have free instructional apps with a tuner and video lessons that will help your kid exercise and learn how to play scales and songs. That makes learning easier and more fun through play and imagination.

Carefully Choose Size & Design

Additionally, you should consider the guitar’s size when buying your child’s guitar. If the guitar is too large it will be difficult for your kid to make a proper reach, with both right and left hand. Luckily, there is a vast range of guitars designed only for children that are specially made to feel comfortable when resting on the knees, allowing the kids to hold the guitar properly and move up and down the neck, being able to put their fingers on all of the strings and frets at the same time.

Apart from size, you can choose a modern and stylish child’s red guitar or another bold and noticeable colour that will remain in your kid's memory. This is important, especially if it’s your kid’s first guitar. As every great guitar player loves telling the story of their first guitar and how it looked, it’s clear how essential the guitar's design is to a musician.

Pick a Type

Guitars come in two basic types – electric and acoustic. Choosing any of these two is neither right nor wrong, in big part, the choice is down to the type of guitar your child prefers. Playing the instrument that they have imagined will make your child experience motivation and increase their interest and inspiration. Understanding what your kid wants is the best way to pick the right guitar for them.

Electric guitars for kids – This type is somewhat easier to play than an acoustic guitar, but not necessarily. An electric guitar has a lower height between the strings and fingerboard, which means a lighter touch is needed to fret notes. It makes it significantly easier for a child’s fingers to produce the pressure needed to play notes clearly.

Acoustic guitars for kids – These guitars can be slightly more affordable, which makes them a good option for kids that are just beginning to learn how to play guitar. Acoustic guitars have a higher action and kids need to press the strings harder compared to an electric one. However, they’re the best type for introduction to the guitar world, and as many guitar players have said, it’s far easier to switch from an acoustic to an electric guitar than vice versa.

Help Your Child Love the Guitar

The first thing to keep in mind is that there can be a period of frustration before the instrument sounds really good and that’s because every guitar player’s fingers get hurt a bit while playing sometimes. You can’t force your child to fall in love with a guitar, however, there are a few things you can do to help.

Children tend to lack patience. So, having to take the guitar out from the case and bring it back in each time can be frustrating for the child. That’s why it’s better to make the guitar available to your child’s reach at any time, by keeping it in a particular spot or hanging it on a wall in your kid's room, so they can pick it up and start playing.

If you’re a musician, play your instrument in the house, even if it’s been a while since the last time you played, this might be the right time to bring it back. If you’re not a musician, you can still keep the music presence strong in your household by bringing up conversations about your favourite songs in a natural and fun way, asking your child’s opinion on the music you’re listening to, whether they like it or not. That way your kid will know music is appreciated in their surroundings and it can be a big motivation, or even more if you want to learn playing the guitar with them as well.

However, if your child is practising alone, make sure no one interrupts. That leaves more space for the kid to make noise and not feel bad if they mess up. Kids find pure joy in playing music, but to advance in their playing skills will require more discipline. So, this might become stressful for them. That’s why it’s important to let your child explore music, so he or she will find love for their instrument first. When they love what they learn, kids are more likely to stick to it and overcome the challenges.