Guitar Lessons For Kids – What Age is Best to Start Learning?

Are you looking for guitar lessons for kids? Has your child expressed interest in playing the guitar? Maybe they have been inspired by someone playing on the street busking  in a concert, a band or even on TV.  If so you may wonder what age is best to start learning guitar.

The answer to this question of course, depends on your individual circumstances and may vary depending on who you ask but in this blog we hope to explain a little bit more about playing the guitar and give some facts that may help you decide what age is best to start learning Guitar.

We  will explore some of the pros and cons of different ages for starting guitar lessons for kids. So, whether you have a child who has just started school or a teenager in their first year of secondary school we can try to help you find out what might be the best age for your child.

So first of all we should think about the physical size of a guitar and the physical size of your child. Your child has to be able to hold the guitar properly, this means they must be able to keep both arms in position, whilst making sure that their left fingers are using the right posture all before strumming with the right hand. This requires quite a lot of hand strength in order to hold the chords properly, as well as a lot of concentration especially at first.

For very young children (under 5) a guitar will be too heavy and can be dangerous unattended. We suggest that you buy them a toy guitar (if they are preschool age to motivate them to want to learn to play when they are a bit older) or a Ukulele it they are around 4/5 (The ukulele, also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin) Ukuleles are much smaller than guitars and guitars have only 4 strings. Ukuleles are also much cheaper to purchase…

When children are a bit older, maybe about 7 or 8 the guitar can be hard to learn at first, but it’s easier the longer you stick with it – and if you follow these simple tips:

• Warm-up and cool down to make it easier on your hands
• Work on your form and technique
• Master basic guitar chords first
• Learn how to read guitar sheet music and tabs
• Regularly scales and arpeggios
• Find a guitar tutor

Remember every child is different though so please do evaluate your child based on their ability. For example your child may struggle a bit to follow instructions, or not yet have strength in their fingers. They may benefit from shorter guitar lessons for kids to begin with.

There really isn’t a set age which is best for learning to play the guitar. However there are some key signs you should look out for to find out when your child may be ready to play the guitar. From research and talking to guitar tutors on our directory they suggest that usually a child of 7 or 8 would be the best age to start learning guitar.

What Age is Best to Start Learning?

• Your child shows a strong, consistent interest in the guitar
• Your child enjoys listening to the guitar and can identify the sound
• Your child is y are motivated to want to Practice
• They have good finger dexterity
• Your child is motivated to practice
• Typically can read
• Fingers are strong and nimble enough to press down the strings
• Have experience of being ‘taught

We hope you have found ‘What Age is Best to Start Learning Guitar’ article useful and we hope you are able to find guitar lessons for kids local to you on our directory.

• Online Guitar lessons for kids
• Abington Guitar Lessons for Kids