Teaching a 6-Year-Old with Everyday Objects: Real Lessons from My Studio
Real piano lesson ideas using everyday objects—perfect for wiggly students, no-practice days, and young beginners. Read on for help from a real piano teacher!
Over the past week, I’ve been sharing a small video series on Instagram and YouTube — Day _ of 10: looking for everyday objects to teach a 6-year-old — and it’s been a meaningful reminder of something I’ve learned again and again over the years:
A lot of real learning happens without new music, worksheets, or elaborate plans.
I wanted to gather a few of those ideas here and share what’s been working in real lessons — the kind of lessons where you look at the student in front of you and adjust.
My Solution for a Wiggly 6-Year-Old (and a No-Practice Piano Lesson That Actually Worked)
If you teach piano long enough, you know this lesson well.
The student arrives full of energy.
Practice didn’t happen.
Sitting still is clearly not an option.
Instead of forcing the piano bench, or nagging about counting out loud, this week I grabbed chalk and headed to my driveway.
And honestly?
It turned into a very productive activity. Not to mention her dad saw us as he came to pick her up. He was duly impressed!
A Simple Piano Hopscotch Game for Wiggly Students
I drew a hopscotch grid on the driveway and filled each square with something musical:
a simple note
a rest
or a piano key
Here’s how we played:
🎹 Little Fingers Jingle Bells: A Christmas Duet for Preschool Piano Students
When preschoolers play Jingle Bells — and stay engaged the whole time 🎶
If you’ve ever tried to teach Jingle Bells to a preschooler, you know how quickly things can fall apart.
Little fingers wander, attention drifts, and suddenly your adorable holiday moment turns into… chaos with sleigh bells.
That’s why I created Little Fingers Jingle Bells — a simple call-and-response duet designed just for preschoolers. It turns one of the most beloved Christmas songs into a joyful back-and-forth between teacher and student.
Finger Number Confusion? Try This Simple Piano Game for Beginners!
If your beginner piano students keep mixing up their finger numbers, try this fun and easy piano game that helps kids remember fingers through movement and play.
🎵 When Finger Numbers Just Won’t Stick…
If you’ve ever had a student mix up finger 2 with finger 4 (again), you know the struggle. 😅 You remind them, count together, even label fingers on paper—but a week later, they’re still guessing.
That’s why I love this simple, hands-on piano game that turns finger number review into an activity kids actually enjoy!