Guitar For Toddlers

Introduction

Guitars are a great choice of instruments to step into the world of music. Guitar for toddlers is also available now, and you can explore your options to make the right decision. In many cases, whether the parent is knowledgeable about musical instruments or not, they remain unsure about the right product to get for their little ones.

Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Because by going through this guide, you will receive all the information you need to understand. Starting from the type of guitar you should get your toddler to teach them to play it.

Ariose is one of the leading OEM brands to manufacture guitar and related accessories. They get many questions, and people are always curious to know more, and the products are well-demanded.

Types of Guitar for Toddlers

Musical Toy Guitar

Toddlers are inclined towards toys. And if those are musical toys, they seem to enjoy it even more. Not only in the case of musical instruments but also in standard toys that have built-in music playing systems.

So, you may look into musical toys to choose from for your child. There is a wide variety of musical toy guitars that you can get for your toddler.

Musical toy guitars are powered by batteries generally. The keys are colorful and eye-catching. The movement and sound are perfect for children. It perks up their interest in music from an early developmental age. It is said that music is one of the great things that positively affect children’s minds.

Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic guitars are great to learn from. There are customized acoustic guitars that you can get for your toddler.

Acoustic guitars are full-sized with strong metal strings. When you ought to get them for children, however, you need to get custom-sized guitars that have softer strings. Children tend to have smaller and softer palms and fingers for obvious reasons.

Toddlers can learn basic chords with a clear tone or just become familiar with the string positions and fretboard. They’ll know how to navigate their way through the hand and finger locations on the guitar by the time they’re older.

Fig 1: Acoustic Guitar Sizes

Classical Guitar for  toddlers

Classical guitars are more traditional, and they have been used to play strings for a long time. They almost look like modern acoustic guitars, but the main difference is that the strings of classical guitars are made mostly out of nylon or gut. These materials are what make classical guitar sound a certain way.

The classical guitar can be great for your toddlers as a learning instrument. As they grow older, they will develop a taste and preference of their own. Then they can choose to continue with classical guitars or move on to other ones.

Electric Guitar

Electric guitars are a bit trickier to handle than the classical and modern acoustic types. It takes some time to get the hang of it. Generally, electric guitars are the easiest ones to get a grip of and learn quicker with.

The reason is that electric guitars have a shorter width between the fretboard circumference and the strings. That helps the player to hold the chords more easily and learn the placements faster.

The risk factor also remains when it comes to toddlers. It is a matter of caution to keep children safe from dangerous hazards like electricity and fire. Getting them an electric guitar to use seems a bit dangerous. But it is only dangerous if the guitar is not safe enough.

In many electric guitars, there are now advanced safety measures—especially the ones customized for children. If you wish to avoid that issue altogether, yet you would want to learn and play with electric guitars, the simple solution is to not attach them with electric equipment.

Electric guitars are not inherently run by electricity. The guitars are non-electric. They are designed in such a way that you can add jacks and plug them into a piece of amplifier equipment that makes the guitars sound in a specific way.

Hence, these types of guitars are completely safe for children to use without attaching them to electric equipment and amplifiers.

Choosing the Right Guitar

Making a final decision out of many choices is already a feat of the challenge itself. But there are certain aspects and factors that you can look out for and consider while choosing a guitar for your child.

Things to Look for While Buying a Guitar

When you are guitar-hunting, it is necessary to keep certain factors in mind. That way, you would have set criteria for the type of guitar that would fit your exact requirements. Those criteria have to be chosen even more carefully when it comes to searching for guitars to buy for a toddler.

The following factors should be considered when looking for a guitar to buy for your toddler.

Fig 2: Guitar Capo and  Accessories

Guitar Size

Children cannot hold full-sized guitars. Even though there are many types and sizes of guitar that even adults have trouble handling properly, the reference wasn’t to those specific models. There are many models that adults perfectly handle, play and enjoy.

So, it is necessary to have a custom-sized guitar for children. There are a variety of sizes that companies offer. There are ¼, ½, ¾, ⅞, etc. sizes targeted at children guitarists. 4-7 year of old children can use the ¼ guitar size.

Here is a video that will provide more insight on guitar sizes: https://youtu.be/BMBbzXDxRV8

Classical, Acoustic, or Electric?

If you are a guitarist yourself, you definitely know the best answer to this choice. You know the differences between the types of guitars- classical, acoustic, and electric. There is also musical toy guitar, which is not exactly a category for adults, but it is very popular among kids.

But if it’s the issue of serious guitars with strings and chords for the children to learn, you must choose the one you think your child would be the most comfortable learning with. It is necessary for a child to feel comfortable about the instrument they will learn to play.

Music is not something you should force upon someone, whether that is a child or an adult human.

So, you can show your toddlers the pictures, take them to the guitar shop, see how they interact with them. You must observe how comfortable they are with holding each type of guitar and make a choice with the child’s help because they are the ones who will be playing them.

It is recommended to start early with classical or modern acoustics. But if your toddler has a knack for electric ones, you can absolutely proceed to choose that.

As previously said, electric guitars are not harmful and dangerous. If you get them electric guitars without the electric equipment and amplifiers, you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Fig 3: Fretboard and Basic Chords

The customization of sizes for toddler-targeted guitars is mostly classical and acoustic. It may be tougher to find or get customized electric guitars. So, you must keep that in mind.

There is also the factor of your budget and cut-off price. There are many ranges of guitars you can get. They vary according to brands, popularity, make, finesse, and the clean sound it provides. You should analyze all of these things before making a choice.

This video will help you understand more about these guitar types: https://youtu.be/BjfLZGT8bmI

Distinguishing Between a High and Low-quality Guitar

Higher price doesn’t always mean higher quality. And lower price than average doesn’t necessarily mean low-quality guitar. Before your child gets to start using the guitar, make sure that you are satisfied with all or at least most of the aspects of it.

The things you must look out for are the make of the fretboard, how the strings line up on the fretboard, how they sound when tuned, the reverberation when you strum it, how clean the chords sound, how well it grips, etc. These are the basic aspects that you should judge a guitar by.

Price Range and Quality Ratio of the Guitar

Beginner’s guitars start from around $50-$60. This price range is for classical types of beginner-level guitar. They come in customizable sizes and adjustable strings.

Modern acoustic guitars for beginners start from around $100-$250. The strings are adjustable, and there are different styles and models available.

Fig 4: Guitar Picks and Finger Guards

Electric guitars are rigid on choice. There aren’t too many models for toddlers, but you can choose from the available variety. Electric guitars are somewhat more expensive than the average classical or modern acoustic guitars. The price range starts from around $150-$300. In many cases, well-established and popular brands have a higher price range that can increase the price even more.

The price hikes or falls depending on the retail shop you will get the guitar from.

Benefits of Getting a Guitar for Toddlers

There are many benefits to starting young children to get acquainted with music and musical instruments from an early age. There are many children who start learning piano or xylophones from the tender age of 3 or 4.

They learn faster than most adults do, and they seem to love doing so. They seem to have a knack for comprehending musical melodies and harmonization. Many musical prodigies start real young and grow up to be amazing at playing and composing music.

Besides the effects music has on young humans, it also is beneficial to their future and career goal decisions.

Brain Development

Learning music helps people with brain development. The wider explanation is that music has a certain neuro-developmental link with young minds. Music is processed through both of the hemispheres of our brains and thus has a significant effect on cognitive function stimulation.

The role of music is significant in terms of growth in the early years of childhood. Children are generally very receptive and amazingly expressive. Music helps them achieve a deeper understanding of the world that, as adults, we seldom tend to notice.

In recent years, studies suggest that music can open our cognitive function by stimulation, and it helps more if introduced in earlier years of childhood, for instance, toddlers. A lot of people are leaning into this idea now.

Fig 5: Guitar Bags

There are even products that have been invented to introduce music to prenatal and neonatal stages. Many people prefer to start with classical music as it is easier to follow and doesn’t necessarily need the usage of lyrics.

Overall, musical instruments have a great effect on children. So, guitars and any kind of musical instruments that are easy to catch up with and can be played from a young age are a great addition to nurturing children who can grow up to become amazing people.

Early Interest in Music

Early interest in music can later become a passion and a lifelong hobby. In many cases, children who start learning and playing musical instruments grow up to become professional musicians. There are many music enthusiasts and other professional positions that are included in the global music industry.

Music has always been an integral part of the human race. Early interest in music only ever nods to the trace of our ancestors living in each of us without even being conscious about it.

Children enjoy music just as adults do, maybe even in a better way. So, if the early interest in music is nurtured and encouraged, there are so many great potentialities that can be foreseen for those young minds.

You can check this link and study paper to read up more on the link between neurodevelopment and music.

Teaching Your Toddler to Play Guitar

Music doesn’t only play the role of neural development and cognitive function stimulation, but it also works to create a special bond with people, no matter what the age is.

Early childhood experiences are really important for children. Hence, teaching your children how to play guitar is a significant memory that they will cherish all throughout their lives. The emotion that attaches itself to you and your child will be amazing to experience.

Fig 6: Barre Chords

Learning Guide for Toddlers to Play Guitar

After buying the guitar and bringing it home, the next step is to learn how to play it. There are a few ways that your toddler can learn how to play guitar nowadays. Thanks to technological evolution and global network expansion, there are many platforms available.

Whether it is via video tutorials, or searching for expert music teachers (online or offline), even specifically instrument learning helper applications, your toddler can learn to play from anywhere however it suits them.

Video tutorials are easy to follow, but some of them are not continuous, and children may face trouble following through with them. There is no true alternative to having a good teacher walk you through the steps face to face. There are a lot of tips and tricks that you can learn only from a good mentor.

Nonetheless, you can try out all the options and be involved in their learning process as much as you can. If the parents themselves know how to play guitar, that is an amazing opportunity for the child to relate to and connect to their parents through the guitar learning experience. The social bonding and a true learning experience would really seem wholesome and fulfilling.

Otherwise, getting them to join a guitar learning class would also be a great opportunity for them. But your primary concern should be how well your toddler is taking it, if they are comfortable with that and if the lessons are well enough.

Whether you yourself are teaching or your toddler joins a class, the process of learning how to play guitar is a constant in all cases.

Here is a step by step discussion on the learning process:

Learning the Names of Guitar Parts

There are some basic parts of the guitar you must know. There is the fretboard, frets, nut, tuning pegs, soundhole, bridge, etc. This is the basic breakdown of a classical and modern acoustic guitar.

Electric guitars have even more parts—for instance, jacks, pickup selector switch, volume knobs, tone knobs, etc.

Learning the Names of the Strings

There are six strings to a basic guitar of any type. The string’s names are important to remember because the strings and frets help create the melody that we get to hear.

The strings are in order (left to right) E, B, G, D, A, E. The first E is the bass tone; the rightmost string is the high-note.

Fig 7: Fretboard Chord  Stickers

Learning to Strum and Finger

After one is acquainted with guitar parts and strings. It’s time to learn how to strum and finger the strings.

This is a general instruction based on a right-handed guitar player on an acoustic guitar. You must place the fretboard in the palm of your left hand and place the guitar on top of your right leg. Then place your right arm on the extended wooden part of the soundhole. Then your hand will fall directly on top of the strings, right over the soundhole itself.

And then you strum with your index and middle finger. You may also use a pick to strum or play. For learning how to finger the guitar strings, your thumb will be playing the upper strings (E, B, G), and your index, middle finger, and ring finger will be playing the lower strings in order (D, A, E)

This has to be caught on to till you can do that with just pure instinct. And then you can move on to chords.

Learning the Chords

Chords are played by placing fingers on the frets of the fretboard. As a toddler, only the basic major chords are enough to learn primarily. Then, they can move on to basic minor chords.

A guitar can produce many, many chords, which can combine to create a huge number of combinations to play melodies that music is created out of.

Chord Transition

After learning and practicing chords, the next stage is to learn chord transition. When you play one chord and transition to another chord instantly and keep doing so, that is known as chord transition. This is how melodies are played on a guitar. Your toddler will need some time to get apt at this. But the learning process is still great to have as a child.

It is not expected of a child generally to be able to learn how to play a song as a toddler, but the next step after learning to do chord transition is learning how to play a song. So, if they continue to keep trying, they will eventually reach a point where they will be able to learn and play songs on their guitar.

Fig 8: Basic Electric Guitar Model

Frequently Asked Questions

At What Age Can Children Learn to Play Guitar?

Children can generally learn how to play guitar around the age of 4-7. There are talented children who can understand the basics and more during that time. They can start learning from toys then move on to guitar with strings.

How to Adjust the Guitar Strap for My Child?

The child can wear the strap around them, and then you must take the guitar up to the comfortable position where they can play it with ease. The straps are adjustable, so you can adjust them as such.

What are Full-sized Guitars for?

Full-sized guitars are mainly for people above the age of 13 to play. If a child starts learning guitar from an early age, they will be able to adjust to and play a full-sized guitar when they reach a certain height and enter puberty.

What is the easiest guitar type that children can play?

For 1-3-year-old children, toy musical guitars with buttons are the easiest to play with. For 4-7-year-old children, they can play adjusted and customized string guitars of any kind on a basic level. Children can level up a size as they grow up and finally use full-sized ones.

How do OEM brands help suppliers to build good-quality guitars for toddlers?

The OEM (original equipment manufacturer) brands like Ariose music have really upgraded and jacked up their quality to build good guitars.

The company supplies businesses and is good at what they do. They help brands by having an intensive market demand idea which helps with the supply and manufacturing.

Final Words

Hopefully, you will be able to go forth from this point on to make an informed choice while buying a guitar for your toddler. The many aspects and factors that you must keep in mind, some questions that you may have regarding the instruments are also discussed briefly here.

The most important thing to remember is that the child that will be using the instrument should enjoy it fully. Their joy is the most important thing that matters. There is a market for guitars for toddlers now, and you can try out your hand at a business selling these kinds of instruments.