Teaching a 6-Year-Old with Everyday Objects: Real Lessons from My Studio

Do you need some no practice piano lesson ideas? If so, read on to see how I used all kinds of normal objects to teach in piano lessons.

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.

Musical Hopscotch: Learning That Starts with Movement

One day, we took the lesson outside.

I drew a hopscotch on the driveway with sidewalk chalk and placed a simple musical note, rest, or piano key inside each square. The game was simple:

• The student grabbed a small rock

• Jumped across the hopscotch

• Jumped back to the beginning

• Named the musical symbol before picking up the rock

Movement, thinking, and music all worked together — especially helpful on a no-practice day. Instead of forcing focus at the bench, the lesson met the child’s energy where it was.

Pom-Poms and Patterns: An Easy Way to Introduce Composition

Another day, I pulled out pom-poms.

We used color to connect patterns on the floor to the piano:

• 🔴 Red = C

• 🟢 Green = D

• 🟡 Yellow = E

The student created a pattern with the pom-poms, then walked over to the piano and played it. Without calling it anything fancy, she had composed something of her own.

No staff.
No pressure.
Just sound, choice, and discovery.
Play-Doh for Finger Isolation (Without Sitting at the Piano)

On a different day, I used Play-Doh and a clipboard.

We rolled a die to get a finger number, then practiced finger isolation by pressing or shaping the Play-Doh with that specific finger. This gave us a calm, focused way to work on finger use without staying at the piano the entire time.

For young students, this kind of off-bench work can make technical ideas feel manageable instead of overwhelming.

Dry Erase Dice for Musical Alphabet Games

Another favorite tool from the week was a dry erase dice.

I wrote the musical alphabet on each side — A through G — with F and G sharing one side (since there are only six). Rolling the dice instantly added an element of chance and fun.

We used it for:

• Quick note review

• Pattern building

• Simple composition ideas
  
  

  One small object, lots of flexibility.
  

  What These Lessons Have in Common

  None of these tools were sold as “music materials” when I bought them. Or found them.
  They became music tools because they met the child where she was.

  This series has been a good reminder that:

  • Teaching doesn’t always start at the bench

  • Flexibility matters more than perfection

  • Movement and play often lead to deeper understanding

  Sometimes the most productive lessons come from looking around the room — or the driveway — and asking:

  “What could we do with this?”

  If you’ve been feeling a little tired, stuck, or uninspired lately, I hope these ideas spark something gentle for you. Real teaching is adaptive, human, and often beautifully simple.

  — Kay