How happy is your little one? If you notice that they seem bored of complacent, the problem might lie in the fact that they are incredibly bored. I realized that my own kids were struggling with boredom a few years back, so I started focusing on child education. I got a copy of the school curriculum their teachers were using, and then I worked with them day in and day out to teach them what they needed to know. I found that they really took a shining to the whole concept of education, and it was really neat to see how much better they reacted towards lessons.
Is Your Child Ready To Learn To Play Guitar?
Guitar is an instrument that many children can feel drawn to. Kids can play songs they hear on the radio with just a few lessons. If your child is interested in learning to play, how can you know if they are ready to tackle learning this new instrument?
1. Their hands are large enough to handle the guitar itself.
The main part of learning the guitar is learning to play the chords on the frets to make the strings play the notes you need. Pressing the strings down on the frets is what makes the right sounds and notes for the song you are playing.
There are small guitars that are made for smaller hands, but the guitar is not a ukulele. Your child's hands should be large and strong enough to press the strings down without too much struggle. Sometimes, developing the strength to play some more challenging chords takes some practice, but these chords will be impossible for children who are simply not yet able to manage the guitar as an instrument.
2. They can tap out a basic rhythm.
Some instruments, like the piano, can be taught without yet learning basic rhythms. Piano students can learn note names, where the notes are on the staff, where they are on the keyboard, and begin to play scales and learn things like key signatures.
However, guitar music is unique in that it can exist outside the music staff. Songs can be written in tab form, in note form, or in chord form, but knowing what chords to play is only half the battle. Without a basic rhythmic strumming pattern, the song is meaningless and unrecognizable. Children who cannot yet clap or return a rhythm should wait a while before trying to learn guitar.
3. They have some perseverance.
Learning any instrument takes some dedication, but the guitar can take some extra persevering because the strings can be painful on the fingers until your hands get used to the chord positions. Learning the piano or the trumpet is not painful, but string instruments are different. Make sure that your child understands that you have to play frequently even though your fingers might hurt a bit, but that with practice, the chord positions will no longer hurt and will become second-nature.
Guitar is a very rewarding instrument for children to learn because they can learn so much in such a short time. They can also use the skills they learn with guitar in almost any music setting. When your child is ready to play, encourage their desire to become a guitarist by signing them up for kids guitar lessons.