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Do your kids take piano lessons? Have they complained that they never get to play ‘real’ music?
Maybe they have one favourite song. Or perhaps they love a specific genre, movie, or season. Kids piano sheet music is the perfect solution to supplement the important (but sometimes less motivating) music in the lesson books.
The problem can be finding music your kids can actually play.
Countless young students and parents have brought music to lessons with me excited to learn their favourite song only to find out that it was years out of their reach. While some kids may try to play the sheet music on their own, and become frustrated.
Let’s avoid all that, by choosing the right music that will have your kids begging to play piano for just 5 more minutes!
In this guide to kids piano sheet music we’ll talk about:
- Sheet music vs music books – which to choose?
- How to choose the right level
- The best places to find kids piano sheet music – with free options!
- Genres of music to explore, and some of my favourite resources in each genre. Including Disney music, current hits, hymns, and seasonal music.
Is sheet music the right option?
If your child is taking piano lessons they likely have a piano method book. These books are the curriculum through the basics of playing piano. The great thing is, most method books have supplementary books that are coordinated just for your kids’ level and age.
For example, I use the Piano Adventures method books by Nancy and Randall Faber with many of my students. For each level, they have correlated books such as Christmas, Classical, Jazz, Popular, Kids Songs, Disney music, Current Hits, and more.
To find the perfect book for your child, simply google the name and level of your child’s lesson book. This will take the guesswork out of finding music they can actually play and enjoy, as it will be tailored specifically to your child.
Choose 1 level lower if you’d like your child to be able to play on their own without their teacher. It’s also perfect for reinforcing what they’ve learned and for a much needed boost in motivation and fun!
When to look for sheet music?
Sometimes, the nicely tailored books just don’t have the song your kid is dying to play. In particular, some books lack newer popular music.
For example, I have some books called ‘Popular’ that feature ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, and ‘Give my Regards to Broadway’. Whether you like these songs or not, I’m betting you kids won’t call them ‘popular’ music!
Current music imight be easier to find as sheet music. Sheet music is also extremely affordable (or even free!) if you just want music for one specific song. The downside is that it doesn’t always come specially levelled just for your child.
Choose the correct level of kids piano sheet music
Learning music they love is so motivating for kids! The only downside is that sometimes the sheet music they find turns it into an exercise in frustration instead.
Kids piano sheet music is often labeled with levels, but the names of the levels are anything but clear if you’re not familiar with them. For example, if you have a beginning level child and see ‘Easy Piano’ music that should be perfect, right? Nope, unfortunately, it’s not even close.
Early beginner piano music
This is the most simple music. It will be suitable for your child if you are teaching them a few simple tunes without formal lessons. It will suit young children who have just started piano lessons in the past couple of months. It will also be approachable for older children who are trying to start learning a few tunes without formal lessons.
The easiest piano sheet music for kids is written with colors, numbers, or letters instead of music notes. This is sometimes called ‘pre-reading’ music, since the notes aren’t written on the music staff yet.
Best for:
- Preschool children
- Beginning piano without formal lessons
- Early beginners: less than 2 or 3 months of piano lessons
Beginner Notes
Music labeled as ‘Beginner Notes’ usually has just one line of music with the note names written in each note head. This music would be best for kids who know where each note is on the keyboard, but struggle with reading notes on the page.
I’d suggest this music for pieces your child would like to learn by themselves, just for fun.
Best for:
- Beginners who know the names of the piano keys
- Struggle with note reading
- Learning without a teacher
5 Finger piano
5 finger piano sheet music is written for the elementary (not very beginner) level. This is music that uses 5 finger hand positions without much moving around on the keyboard.
5 finger piano music is best for kids who have a good grasp of note reading, and understand basic rhythms including eighth notes (quavers in the UK). This music correlates nicely with levels 1 & 2 of many beginner method books.
Best for:
- Elementary level (level 1 -2 if method books)
- Can read notes and basic rhythms
Big note piano
Big Note piano sheet music is a late elementary level. This music will be hands together, and will require moving your hands outside of the 5 finger position.
Big Note music is similar to level 3 & 4 of many beginner methods. It will also go well with level 1 & 2 of both the Royal Conservatory of Music or RCM (a popular North American exam program). As well as level 1 & 2 of the ABRSM (a UK exam board popular around the world).
Best for:
- Late elementary level
- Levels 3 & 4 of beginner method books (such as Piano Adventures)
- Levels 1 & 2 of RCM or ABRSM (or many other exam based programs)
Easy piano
Easy Piano is the easiest level to get confused on with kids piano sheet music. Easy piano isn’t actually easy! It’s an early to mid-intermediate level. So, unless your child has been playing for years, this could be too hard.
It’s much better to have music that is too easy, than too hard. Especially if the music is a gift for someone. Easy music will just make learning it that much more fun and motivating!
Easy Piano music covers a bit of a range, but is similar to levels 3 through 6 of the Royal Conservatory (RCM) program, and levels 3 through 4 of the ABRSM program.
Best for:
- Early to mid-intermediate
- Levels 3 – 6 RCM
- Levels 3 – 4 ABRSM
Piano solo
Music labeled Piano Solo is meant for confident piano players who have reached at least a late intermediate level. If you are looking for piano solo music it is most likely you are looking for a teenager or adult who has played piano for years. It correlates approximately with RCM levels 6 and up or ABRSM levels 5 and higher.
Sheet music at this level isn’t best for young kids. For that reason, I won’t link any examples at this level in the section below. Despite that, there is a huge variety available on all the sites linked below if this is the level you’re looking for.
Best for:
- Late intermediate through advanced
- Levels 6 and higher RCM
- Levels 5 and higher ABRSM
PVG or Piano/Vocal/Chords sheet music
You may see music listed as PVG. This stands for Piano, Vocal, Guitar. It is also sometimes listed as Piano/Vocal/Chords. PVG music is exactly that – music that has a piano accompaniment, a separate vocal link, and the guitar chords on one sheet of music.
This type of sheet music is also not designed for young kids and is usually at least an intermediate level. The piano part in PVG music will not play the melody (the part that sounds like the words), as it is meant to be an accompaniment. This is the perfect music if you would like to play with friends or accompany yourself as you sing.
Best for:
- Mid-intermediate – early advanced
- Accompanying yourself singing or playing with others
Where to find kids piano sheet music
Local Music store
If you have a music store near you, support local and go check them out. I buy most of my music online since the closest music store is an hour and a half each way!
Most music stores have a selection of both kids piano sheet music and books. The salespeople in music stores are usually very helpful and should be able to help you find the right music and level for your child.
Free online sites
There are lots of sites online that have free piano sheet music for kids. It is much easier to find free music for nursery songs, folk songs, and classical music than for current music, though.
You may be able to find some popular hits for free online, although it is harder than it used to be. Since some of those sites are violating copyright laws, though, I won’t mention them here!
The best sites for free kids piano sheet music that I use are:
- Music for Music Teachers – has a variety of free kids piano sheet music from the pre-reading stage, through to the elementary level. They include children’s songs, as well as music for a variety of holidays.
- Making Music Fun – has a selection of free sheet music from the elementary through early intermediate levels. They include Christmas music, jazz, classical, and children’s songs.
- G Major Music Theory – has an easy to navigate collection of free kids piano sheet music. They include children’s and folk songs, Christmas and holiday music, as well as classical sheet music. Most of their sheet music also has a track available to listen to the audio, which is a great bonus!
- Piano Song Download – has a collection of free pre-reading through advanced piano sheet music.
Amazon
You probably shop on Amazon for a lot of things. Piano music for your kids can certainly be one of them!
Amazon sells more piano books than sheet music. I often order piano books for myself and my students from Amazon, and they have any style and level you could wish.
Amazon does have the disadvantage of not showing a preview of the music, though. This can sometimes make it harder to tell if the music is what you are looking for.
For kids piano sheet music though, Amazon wouldn’t be my first stop. That’s simply because there is are better, affordable, and easy to search sites that exist just for selling high-quality, instantly downloadable sheet music.
All three of the sites below show a preview of the music before you purchase.
Musicnotes.com
Musicnotes.com is my favourite place to purchase sheet music online. It’s the place I most often send my students when they want to learn a specific piece of music.
Their music is clearly marked by level, and they have a wide variety of levels from Beginner notes, through to Advanced music. Each level includes a variety of styles, with a good selection of kids’ movie music, and current hits which are usually the most requested types of music by my students.
Musicnotes.com also offers a small selection of free sheet music to download.
I’ve found musicnotes.com has a very consistent high quality of sheet music. Their music is all available as digital downloads that you print at home. So, your child can choose a song and start learning it the same day!
You might want to check the number of pages the sheet music contains, since some popular music can be quite long. You might still purchase the music, just with the understanding that your child might only play the first page or two, not all 15!
The only downside to musicnotes.com is that while they do have a big variety, they don’t always have every song my students ask for. If you prefer sheet music that is physically shipped to you, that is also not an option with this site.
Sheet Music Plus
When I can’t find what I’m looking for on musicnotes.com, or I want a physical copy, I order from Sheet Music Plus.
Sheet Music Plus has the largest selection of piano sheet music I’ve found, at any level you might be looking for. While their sheet music has always been good quality, I do feel it is a bit less strictly controlled than some other sites.
Sheet Music Plus sells both digital downloads of sheet music, as well as physical sheet music and books.
With this site too, it is a good idea to check the number of pages a piece of sheet music contains. More isn’t always better, especially for younger kids.
Noviscore
Noviscore is the site I order from least often but might be perfect for your child. They have a variety of genres of piano sheet music, although less variety than the last two sites. The sheet music is all very high-quality arrangements.
The special thing about Noviscore is that each piece of sheet music they offer is available in 3 or 4 different levels. The easiest level is near a late-elementary level. They have both an audio preview as well as a visual preview of the sheet music.
The best part is that they offer optional add-ons such as note names written in, reading aids, and even video aids for some pieces. This makes them the best place to purchase music for someone self-taught, especially an older child wishing to learn a certain piece of music on their own.
Best kids piano sheet music by genre
I’ll include links to some of my favourite sheet music resources below, as well as a few books where they might be a better option. I’ve been teaching piano lessons for over 15 years, so I’ve searched the internet for the best for my students and for you!
Scroll down to find the type of sheet music you’re looking for. I’ll include a variety of elementary levels, and include links to free kids piano sheet music where it’s available.
Current hits
Kids often want to play music that is new and ‘their music’. Current hits are hard to find in kids’ piano books, which makes sheet music the perfect option. Beware that many of the sheet music recommendations for current hits even when they’re at a beginner level might be very long. Your child might just want to learn the chorus or the first page or two.
Since current hits vary so much, I’d suggest you browse around on your own. I’d suggest you visit one of the sites above and type in your level.
Disney piano sheet music
Disney music is also very popular. It’s a bit easier to find than ‘current hits’, since Disney movies stay popular for years rather than the couple month lifespan pop music sometimes seems to have!
If you have a Disney-loving piano player at home, you might want to choose a piano book instead and save money over buying individual pieces. For the price of 2 sheet music downloads you might have a whole book!
Nancy and Randall Faber’s Disney books are my favourite resource for kids’ Disney piano music. They’re arranged to be very easy to read and play for young kids just learning to read music. There are different songs in each level beginning with Pre-Time Piano Disney which is at the very earliest note reading level. If your child has begun learning to read music notes on the staff they should be able to use this book.
They also have levels PlayTime (level 1), through which is at a ‘5 finger level’ through BigTime (level 4) which is at an ‘easy piano’ level. Each book has different Disney songs, so if your child loves it they can use the next Disney book as their piano skills progress!
The single most popular Disney piece in my piano studio is still ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen. I’m sure I’m not the only one happy the initial craze has passed, but it’s still a hugely popular song!
If your child wants to play this song on their own without strong note reading skills, I’d suggest this ‘beginner notes version’ of ‘Let it Go’ that has the letters written in.
This arrangement of ‘Let it Go’ is at the ‘Easy Piano’ level. (remember that easy piano is different from beginner).
‘Let it Go’ is also featured in the PlayTime Disney book I talked about above in a 5 finger arrangement.
Hymns and Sacred sheet music
Hymns and sacred sheet music for kids are available both paid and free depending on which piece you are looking for. Here are a few favourite resources for free sacred sheet music downloads.
- Free Christian piano sheet music at Making Music Fun. They are almost all free, and range from beginner 5 finger level through early intermediate ‘easy piano’.
- Free Hymn Arrangements by Julie Lind.
For Boys
Of course, all the other genres are also wonderful for boys, but these are some of the sheet music options I’ve found over the years that boys in specific have asked for and loved to play.
Star wars is by far the most popular request for boys. (Of course, girls often love playing it too.) This arrangement is at the big-note or late-elementary level.
Movie Heroes is the most popular piano book I use for boys. It includes such music as Batman, James Bond, and Star Wars. There are 3 levels, and I’d recommend this one for the 5 finger level.
Fearless Fortissimo is the piano music for any comic book or superhero lovers. This is a unique sheet music collection set up as a comic book about a musical superhero. The music is at a late-elementary or big note piano level, and it has catchy music that kids love.
Children’s Songs
Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery songs are some of the easiest kids piano sheet music to find. You should be able to find these songs as free printable sheet music. This is my favourite place to find free children’s song sheet music.
- G Major Music Theory has a selection of free to download children’s songs from the very earliest pre-reading level here.
- Piano Song Download also has lots of free sheet music for children’s songs.
Seasonal sheet music
Christmas
My favourite Christmas piano book series is again by Nancy and Randall Faber. They have graded series very well arranged for beginning levels. They include both traditional carols as well as more modern Christmas songs. The books range from Pre-Reading Christmas for the youngest beginners not yet reading music notes, to Big Time at the ‘easy piano’ intermediate level.
If you’re looking for sheet music for the traditional carols, there are some good free sites as well. Here a couple of my favourite places to find free Christmas sheet music:
- Music for Music Teachers’ free Christmas sheet music can be found here and ranges from beginning 5 finger level to early intermediate easy piano.
- G Major Music Theory also has a great library of free Christmas music here. It’s perfect because it is easy to choose by level.
- Piano Song Download has a library of free Christmas sheet music from pre-reading through advanced.
Hanukkah
There is also good Hannukah music available as free kids sheet music downloads:
- G Major Music Theory is again the place to check out for free Hannukah sheet music. They have pieces such as ‘I Have a Little Dreidel’, ‘Hannukkah, Hannukkah’, and ‘Rock of Ages’, for a few different levels
Halloween
Halloween isn’t necessarily a holiday with a lot of music associated with it. Kids often love some spooky sheet music to get in the mood regardless. Here are a few sheet music downloads that I’ve used with my students:
- This selection of free spooky sheet music from Music for Music Teachers are all at the beginner 5-finger piano level.
- Pianimation.com has a selection of free Halloween sheet music as well. They range from beginner 5-finger level and up.
Conclusion
Well, that’s everything! I hope I’ve helped you find just the right piano sheet music for your child. Remember to check what level your kids are at, and then it’s as simple as choosing a website or local store, and searching for the perfect song.
Don’t have a specific piece in mind? Click through to browse one of the suggestions for popular genres above.
