8 fun guitar books for kids

Once children get bitten by the guitar bug, there is no turning back. They will insist upon it, day after day. You know you won’t be able to rest until they get what they want.

But why would you resist? Music education introduced during childhood has a number of benefits, including developing social skills, language development and improving test scores.

To help them learn and to feed this initial blazing wonder and amazement they feel about the guitar, you need to pick the right guitar lessons for kids or learning books, that combine child-friendly content with a simple and easy learning experience.

Best guitar learning books for kids

You do not want them to get bored after just a few days. Guitars cost a significant amount of money, and learning it takes a while. Do not let that investment go to waste.

Choose one from this vetted list of children’s guitar books, which will lead your child towards love and appreciation of the wonderful instrument called the guitar.

– Editors choice –
Best for kids 8+

Guitar for Kids: Hal Leonard Guitar Method Books 1 & 2

by Jeff Schroedl, Bob Morris

This children’s guitar book follows the tried and proven Hal Leonard method. It is a simple and effortless way to get your kids to learn and improve their guitar playing skills.

Here are some of the best things about Guitar for Kids:

• The book comes with 30 popular songs, most notably, ”Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles, ”Surfin’ USA” by the Beach Boys and many more.
• There is audio accompanying each and every one of the songs features in this tiny, 30-page booklet.
• The pages are structured in a simple layout that will help your child keep focus and attention on that single task at hand.
• It doesn’t matter who is using it as an instructor. It can be an experienced music teacher or a parent who doesn’t know anything about guitars.

Here are a few pages from this book.

And here are a few sample audio files your child will play along with: sample 1, sample 2, sample 3. There are 30 real songs to be learned, these are just a few samples.

It doesn’t matter if your child is starting to learn to play an electric or acoustic guitar, this method goes with both flawlessly. Not only is it simple and easy to use, but this method will also jumpstart the learning progress of your child significantly.

With every new page and song, this book will only increase the motivation in your child to take the guitar in his/her small hands and rock on!

There are 2 books in this series, and I think it’s worth ordering Book 2 right away as well.

They are both short books, just over 30 pages each, and if your little one falls in love with the guitar, you’ll finish Book 1 in a few weeks.

The book above is my top pick for kids 8-13, and the one below is for kids 5-7.

– Editors choice –
Best for kids 5-7

Guitar Book for Kids 5 & Up

by Damon Ferrante

This book is my top pick for getting a child started with the guitar.

The title of this book says it all. It is a guitar learning book for kids. Is it suitable for age 5? I don’t believe kids at 5 years of age can start learning guitar yet, but more on that later.

Why do I think this is a good book for introducing the guitar to kids?

Because it is simple, understandable, and interactive.

You need to be their teacher of course, but the book does a great job of simplifying things down. For example, chords are taught with fewer notes than normal, so they are easier to learn and play.

The concepts are digestible for both parent and child, and the technical skills are broken down nicely.

The songs taught in the book are nursery rhymes, not pop songs. This is good and bad. Older kids above 8-9 will find them tedious, but younger kids love them.

I especially like how the written lessons are frequently supplemented by videos as well. This is important in making sure you and your child hear what you should be playing. What’s more, it keeps things different and interactive, which is vital in keeping your child engaged.

Here are some sample pages from the book:

There are several other great children’s guitar books available, here they are:

When looking to buy a study guide for your child, it is always best to go with something that is proven to work. This book features some of the most creative and popular ways to help your child improve his or her guitar playing skills.

Chord playing and note reading are essential. That is why this book puts emphasis on their learning from page one.

The book starts with the utmost basic forms of learning; that of the single chord playing.

But of course, they won’t learn just chords. The book is filled with music from the most popular and memorable songs. This will ease your child into learning, make it more fun, exciting and easy to remember.

When your child masters chords, he/she gets to move on to something more complex: note reading.

Here are a few pages from this book as well:

The book takes a slow and steady approach to learning, making sure that every lesson is as simple as it is easy to understand.

This book also comes with free online play-along audio recordings and full-length videos for further instructions, in case they become necessary.

This is actually the 1st in a series of 3 books, so if your child likes the approach this book takes, you can advance to volume 2 and 3 as well.

This little guitar learning book is best suited for children from the ages of 5 to 8.

Unlike other books, it is filled with fun, original illustrations, and songs. Children are encouraged to learn guitar by the way of playing along with the virtual teacher.

Much like other books, it starts off with the simplest possible lessons and progresses towards something more complex. Playing along with this book, your children will be given a tour of some of the most popular music genres, like funk, rock, reggae, jazz, and country.

Every one of the 17 recorded songs is recorded inside a music studio, by its author Kasey Wells. This gives them quality and delicate sound that some guitar guides are lacking.

The lyrics are inspired by Dr. Seuss style of storytelling. This makes them more fun and engaging for your guitar loving child.

Along with the song, you will get three options to learn the song. The songs can learn by tablature, standard notation or chords diagrams.

If you are looking for something that isn’t too overwhelming, intended on being a sweet introduction to the world of the guitar, this is the ideal book for you.

One of the best around for years for serious beginners. This book has even won a couple of awards over the years.

It is on the thicker side compared to some of the other guitar guides, with over 140 pages. This complete course includes both the first, entry-level, as well as the second, more advanced level books you could buy separately.

I would say this method is designed for children over the age of 8. Page by page its contents are explained in the most basic way possible. Along for the fun and exciting adventure of learning to play the guitar you and your child are joined by three knowledgeable excerpts:

• A clever looking Dog whose specialty is classical music.
• The second expert is a Jazzy cool cat with legs that just won’t quit.
• The third and final animated expert is a cheerful and kind alligator with the passion for blues music.

Here are a few sample pages, you can view more here.

Music tutors are expensive and the guide is designed with that in mind. The book is written in such a detailed and simple way that every parent, no matter how illiterate he or she might be about music, can help their child learn to play the guitar.

There is also plenty of online material that you can download and replay at home via a code that you are provided with after you purchase the book.

Another great book that introduces children to the charms of music by the best-selling author Ben Parker.

The book does not rely on sheet music to introduce children to the guitar and all its wonderful sounds. It relies on many quite simple and direct photos and diagrams.

The child will start by learned chords. Once they master them fully, they will move on to complete songs. They will progress from 4 of the simplest chords to 4 of the most classic and well-known songs for kids.

In total the book has 8 fun and easy to remember nursery rhymes.

Bit by bit, instruction by instruction, their playing skills should improve along with their skill, their love, and appreciation for the guitar should grow as well. This is the goal of this wonderful book, perfect for children of all ages.

Relying on mostly photographic examples, as well as diagrams and funny cartoons, this exciting guide has everything your child needs to learn the basics of playing the guitar, but also a lot more.

It is very detailed, perhaps overly so. It covers absolutely everything, from how to buy the right guitar, to how to hold it or tune it.

In the beginning, the first lessons cover open strings. Once your child masters those, he or she will move on to pieces of music where they will need to learn how to use their fretting hand.

Children tend to pick up bad habits as they start learning. This guide will correct any possible bad habit. It has a special section that teaches them the most basic playing techniques. This will make those bad playing habits impossible to pick up.

The guide uses guitar tablature to make it more welcoming to absolute beginners. It comes with 47 songs which you can download. Those songs serve as a fine introduction to many genres of music, like rock, blues, pop, flamenco, and jazz.

Each track comes with and without the guitar part of the song. This will encourage your child to play his part and make him feel like it is part of a real band!

If you want your child to learn all the essential parts of learning the ways of playing the classical guitar, this 99-page book might be the ideal guitar guide for you.

As you might guess by its name, this is one of the more serious guitar books for children. Actually, it’s not for just your child per se. You, the parent, need to be heavily involved if you choose this book.

The main educational inspirations this book draws upon are the works of notable music educators, Suzuki and Kodaly. This course combines the very best of its predecessors, of great children’s guitar books of the past, but it also adds something of its own new and unique approach to teaching the guitar.

The main task this guitar book sets upon itself is to instill imagination in the mind of the child who is learning the guitar. Basically, it wants to spark the child’s inner musical genius.

Your child will learn many guitar techniques, rhythmic skills, and musical theory.

The book not only teaches your typical nursery rhymes, like Twinkle Twinkle, Ring Around the Rosy, etc, but also classical songs, like Minuet in G.

The book comes with access to additional online audio, which will make your child sing, dance and most important of all play the guitar.

Full of cute and funny themes, this book might be better suited to study along with a more advanced tutor or parent already familiar with the guitar.

What age can you start teaching a child guitar?

All children are different, so you can’t give an exact answer. On average, here is what you can expect from introducing the guitar to kids of a certain age:

• 5-6 years old: Mostly fooling around with the guitar as a toy, so pushing guitar lessons is really a waste of time and effort.
• 7-8 years old: As kids become school-aged, they can pay more attention to learning the guitar (if they are interested in it at all). Girls tend to mature earlier, so they are at an advantage here.
• 9+ years old: This is when kids tend to start taking the guitar seriously if they are interested in the instrument and music.

Of course, a lot of this has to do with whether your child finds the guitar interesting or not.

5 vital tips for teaching guitar to a child

Learning to play the guitar takes time. Getting enough practice is key at any age, but as any parent can confess, most kids can get frustrated easily and have little patience.

It is important for the parent to help the child stay motivated, which may not be so easy at times.

Here are 5 tips on how to help your child stick with the guitar and stay enthusiastic about learning to play.

1. Practice time: Have your little one practice 15-30 minutes a day, at least 3 days per week. It’s best to set a regular time slot for guitar practice, so it can become a habit.
   Oh, and don’t think children practice on their own. They need guidance and direction from you.
2. Encouragement: Children crave praise and encouragement from the parents, so make sure you tell them how well they are progressing after every lesson.
3. Real music: Keep your child inspired by exposing him/her to real music, not just nursery rhymes. Talk about your favorite bands, guitar players, concerts you’ve been to. Guitar players are cool, even 5-year-olds can see that.
4. Adults learn as well: Start learning the guitar along with your child. This is a biggie, but it is one of the best ways to keep your child enthusiastic. It’s also a great way to spend quality time together.
5. Guitar size: Make sure you get the correct size guitar for your child’s age. Here is a guide on how to choose a kid’s guitar.