How to Teach Piano Finger Numbers: A Simple Game for Young Beginners

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Aug 28

Written By Kay Lowry

A new four-year-old came for her second piano lesson this week.

We were working on finger numbers.

As you know, finger numbers seem simple to us. But for many young beginners, they're surprisingly hard.

Why young beginners struggle with finger numbers

Young boy is successful with finger numbers!

First, kids have to know their right hand from their left. This is pretty hard for young kids, and deserves another article here.

Then, they have to learn that there are only five finger numbers. I had one student who told me that there were 10 finger numbers, until I showed him my finger number diagram.

coloring page from “The Little Red Piano” method book for preschoolers

It’s also tough for kids to know where to start. Counting from the thumb takes time, but with repetition, it becomes second nature.

My four-year old student was a little confused, until I started playing the most POPULAR game in my studio - The Ring Game.

The Ring Game lesson

The fascination comes with toy plastic rings that I first bought at a party store. I’ve since supplemented them with colorful rings from Amazon.

I scattered a handful of rings across the rug. I always ask the younger ones - “Do you want to sort them or leave them like this?” They often want to sort them. Why? Because they CAN. And then later, this helps them decide which ring to pick up.

Then I turned over the flashcards, one by one. (Older kids do this for themselves. They also looove to play with another child or even their sibling!). My student figured out her finger numbers one by one, placing a ring of her choice on that finger.

The game ends when one child (or the teacher!) gets all of the fingers of one hand covered with rings!

There was no worksheet.

No drill.

Just wiggling, laughter, and a four-year-old thinking out loud as she solved the puzzle.

By the end of the activity, she proudly knew which finger was which.

Young girl with plastic toy rings on fingers

The best part?

When the game was over, she didn't want to stop.

Most Popular Piano Game

Honestly, that's what happens with most of my students. They ask to play the Ring Game again the next week... and often the week after that.

Children don't usually ask to repeat something that's boring.

They ask to repeat something that helped them succeed. And they love the way the game makes them FEEL.

Ring Game - a studio-licensed download

That's why I created the Ring Game as a printable resource for other piano teachers.

You'll need to provide your own inexpensive plastic rings (I found mine at a dollar store), and I'll provide everything else:

printable finger number cards
simple game rules
studio license so you can use it with all of your students

Sometimes the simplest games become the ones students remember the longest.

What does this Finger Game Teach Piano Students?

This game uses:

visual recognition
physical movement
repetition
choice
immediate feedback
a clear finishing goal
lets kids think aloud with no pressure.

Ways to Adapt

Besides playing alone, I have used these variations:

teacher versus student
siblings or partners
older students guessing and “strategizing” which hand to use when the cards give them a choice
using one hand before both hands
asking students to name right or left hand

If you're looking for an off-bench activity that helps finger numbers actually stick, I think your beginners will love this one.