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Teaching Children Guitar Properly

If you've read any articles online on how to teach children guitar, you will notice a common theme in the advice given: fun.

Want to teach children guitar? Make lessons fun. Have trouble with your student? Fun is the answer. How do I teach children guitar? Fun.

On the surface it makes sense that children need to have fun during lessons. If they do not enjoy the lesson they will zone out, won't practice and can become a problem. But unfortunately this advice isn't very useful to a guitar teacher starting to teach kids. In this post you will find out why 'fun' isn't the real answer and you will learn what it means to give effective guitar lessons to children.

Why Fun isn't the answer

What's the difference between a guitar lesson and a game of Guitar Hero or Rockband?

Obviously the difference is one teaches the child a real instrument and the other is a toy guitar. A child can sure have a lot of fun playing along to songs in Guitar Hero - but a game of Guitar Hero won't teach them the real thing. That's the entire point of Guitar Hero, to have fun. The problem with structuring your lessons around 'fun' is that you can easily lose sight on what's really important. A child can 'practice' Guitar Hero for a long time, have a lot of fun, but will never accomplish anything. The same thing can happen in your lessons when fun is the main goal or focus.

Let's think about this a different way: how do you think a parent would react after paying for a couple years of guitar lessons only to find out their child hasn't actually learned anything substantial? Do you think the parent will be happy knowing their child had fun in each lesson but never accomplished anything?

That's the problem with the common wisdom of 'making sure your lessons are fun'. It sets the wrong goal for you as a guitar teacher. Fun is an important aspect of lessons with a child as you will read later, but understand that focusing on fun can distract you from running an effective lesson.

So how about we set a more appropriate goal for lessons: to learn.

It may seem obvious that the goal of guitar lessons is to learn, but it's an important reminder. Now that we have an appropriate goal, let's look at how to teach children guitar so they actually learn.

A child's needs in a guitar lesson

If you properly understand a child's needs during a lesson, you will be able to tailor the lesson to their needs effectively. 'Fun' is the common solution people think up because it feels like it fits the student's needs. Understanding needs is explained in full in our teaching guide TPS-01. It's worth reading as it will help you correctly identify your students needs.

Quite simple, if you misunderstand a child's needs during a lesson, problems arise. For example if the child needs to go to the toilet and they do not tell you, you might mistake the squirming in their seat as impatience or boredom. Trying to make the lesson more fun definitely won't help a child needing to use the bathroom. As another example, if your student doesn't like the song you're currently teaching them, the usual reaction is that they won't put much effort in and will become bored. A teacher's usual reaction to this is to try and encourage the student, but no amount of encouragement can persuade a child who really doesn't like the song.

The point to take away here is that understanding the child's needs during a lesson can play a big part in the success of the lesson. Learn to identify a child's needs and come up with solutions specific to those needs.

Giving a successful guitar lesson to a child

So far we've explained that the main goal of a guitar lesson is to learn and that lessons shouldn't be focused around fun as a goal. On top of this we've looked at why it's important to learn to identify a child's needs during a lesson so you can meet those needs. Now let's look at how to take this further and give your student an excellent lesson.

In the guide TTQ-04, three general rules are presented to give an effective guitar lesson to a child. They are:

1. Being able to see progress
2. Being rewarded for their progress
3. Being constantly challenged in a positive way

These are the keys to a successful guitar lesson with a child. If you can constantly achieve these three goals, your student will walk out smiling every time. The guide TTQ-04 explains each point in detail so let's just have a brief overview on why each point is important.

Progress: a child needs to see their own progress in the same way they want to 'level up' or win when playing games. Without a sense of improvement or achievement, the lesson will feel hollow to the child - it will feel like a chore. Your student won't know they're improving unless you constantly remind them so be sure to focus on letting them know any time they make progress. For example, in our printable resource KID-01 a simple progress chart allows the student to clearly see their own progress. Such a simple tool can change the way a child views guitar lessons.

Rewards: any hard work your student puts into the lesson should be rewarded as it reinforces positive behavior. Likewise, whenever the child improves, they should be rewarded. While this could mean actual prizes, even a simple 'well done!' can be enough of a reward. If the child is rewarded throughout the lessons, they will continue to work towards other potential rewards. For example, in our KDS series of lesson plans, a simple reward is built into the lesson plan - the student can color in a relevant picture when they successfully complete the lesson. A very simple reward, but suitable to the task.

Challenges: if a song or task is too easy, the student will get bored (no matter how fun you try and make it). If the task is too hard, the student will become frustrated. The key is to set tasks that challenge the child, but only challenging enough to give them a bit of a push. The tasks need to be achievable. A child will enjoy working hard for an achievable task - especially if they can see their progress (1) and know they will be rewarded for their work (2).

When you view guitar lessons for children with these three rules in mind, it becomes clear what you need to do to give an effective lesson. As soon as one of the three points above aren't being met, you will experience problems. So constantly checking that these three points are being met is the key to success.

One more word on Fun

While you shouldn't focus your lesson around fun as a goal, it's still important that your student enjoys the lessons. You can still make the lessons fun through your enthusiasm and attitude. If you set an appropriate task for your student, your enthusiasm will enhance the lesson. So while we've been very clear in this article that fun isn't the answer - it's important to remember that it is part of the solution. Don't set tasks because you think it will be fun, instead set appropriate tasks and be enthusiastic while teaching.

Your enthusiasm and attitude can dramatically enhance the quality of your lessons with children, but only when the three points above are met. Keep this in mind whenever it feels like things aren't going well in a lesson. The solution is to find out which of the three points aren't being met or whether there's a different need not being met.

 

This post has given you a general overview of giving effective guitar lessons to a child. The resources and guides mentioned go into more detail and will help you work out any specific actions you might need to take. If you need further help in teaching children guitar, contact us here and we'll provide you with support. Teaching children guitar is challenging, but at the same time it can be very rewarding when done right.

KDS-06 Rock-a-bye Baby

About this lesson

This lesson plan will teach your student the children's lullaby 'Rock-a-bye Baby'. The song uses a very simple partial chords to get your student used to using more than one finger at a time. Unlike the other songs in this series this one focuses more on partial chords rather than a single note melody. Some students may find this harder so if the student has trouble with partial chords it would be best to hold off on this lesson and use it later on.

This resource uses an inbuilt incentive to encourage the student to practice. At the bottom of the page is a drawing of a baby in a tree. The incentive is that once the student learns the song they can then color in the drawing however they like. Setting up this reward before teaching the song is a great way to increase the student's focus during the lesson and it will also encourage the student to practice after the lesson.

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KDS-05 Row, Row, Row Your Boat

About this lesson

This lesson plan will teach your student the children's song 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat'. The song uses a very simple melody and partial chords to get your student used to using more than one finger at a time. Triplet notes are also introduced. This song works well as a round so after the student learns it you could demonstrate how a round works.

This resource uses an inbuilt incentive to encourage the student to practice. At the bottom of the page is a drawing. The incentive is that once the student learns the song they can then color in the drawing however they like. Setting up this reward before teaching the song is a great way to increase the student's focus during the lesson and it will also encourage the student to practice after the lesson.

Only Live and Teach Guitar Members have access to this resource and all other resources on the site.

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Guitar Lesson Plans for Kids

New guitar lesson plans for kids

We've been working hard on creating effective guitar lesson plans for kids. Unlike other students, young kids have special requirements and require extra motivation and incentives to practice. We've tested quite a few different options and developed two new series of guitar lesson plans you can use with your children students.

In-build incentives in our guitar lesson plans for kids

From our testing we've found that including a simple incentive within the actual lesson plan dramatically improves the student's motivation, focus and effort. Each guitar lesson plan we develop for children will use some form of incentive to maximize this effect. One of the most effective inbuilt incentives we have developed is the reward that students can color in drawings on the lesson plan after they successfully learn the songs.

This means the student has an extra incentive to practice hard and learn the entire song. Instead of learning it for a bit, getting bored and moving on to the next song, they will have an extra reason to keep practicing. After the student learns the entire song and receives their reward (the coloring in), we've found that the benefits continue. We've found that students 'take ownership' of the song and their colored in lesson plans. They continue to practice the song and every time they see their colored in work, it reminds them of the benefits of practice.

While the inbuilt incentives we have developed in our guitar lesson plans may seem simple, they're very effective. We're constantly testing out different variations and forms of incentives and you will see more of these in future lesson plans.

The KID guitar lesson plans

The KID guitar lesson plans will focus on worksheets and trackers you can use to get your student involved with guitar. They will be very interactive and use inbuilt incentives to encourage the students to practice as mentioned above. Here's the first resource in this series and more are being worked on right now.

KID-01 Practice ChartGuitar Lesson Plans for Kids

This simple resource will help you develop a daily practice habit in your students. The resource covers five weeks of practice and uses effective incentives after each week so you can see how the student is tracking. The great thing with using this resource is that after the first five weeks, the student will have developed their daily practicing habit so much they will continue to practice without any extra incentives. Of course every student is different but we've tested this with many children and found it very effective.

The KDS guitar lesson plans

The KDS series of guitar lesson plans will focus on simple children's songs. Each song will teach the student how to play the single note melody while gently incorporating more difficult concepts such as partial chords, rests, muted hits, etc. Each song displays the backing chords so you can accompany the student. As mentioned above, the inbuilt incentives in each guitar lesson plan will encourage the student to practice on their own. The simple rewards reinforce good behavior and develop good habits.

KDS-01 Baa Baa Black Sheep

KDS-02 Eensy Weensy Spider

KDS-03 It's Raining, It's Pouring

KDS-04 If You're Happy And You Know It

More songs will be added to the Lesson Materials Section over this and future months as we develop more effective incentives and layouts.

KDS-04 If You're Happy And You Know It

About this lesson

This guitar lesson plan teaches the children's song 'If you're happy and you know it'. The song uses a single note melody with the occasional partial chord. A shuffle rhythm is used in this song along with muted hits to be played in place of clapping. Alternatively, instead of the muted hits you could tell the student to clap their hands. This would be tricky but can teach the student how to start and stop quickly. The lyrics are given along with the music so the student can match up the words to the notes they play. Chords are given so you can accompany the student.

This lesson plan uses an inbuilt incentive to encourage the student to practice the song. At the bottom of the page there is a line drawing of clapping hands and a smiley face. The idea is that once the student can properly play the entire song, they have your permission to color in the drawing and to draw more smiley faces across the page. This simple incentive can make a big difference to the student's motivation. Instead of merely learning the song, they have an extra reason to practice. Even know the reward might seem trivial, it does help. Once the student learns the song and draws the faces as per your instructions, they will take 'ownership' of the song and be more likely to keep practicing it. Every time they see their colored in drawing it will remind them of the reward for practice.

Only Live and Teach Guitar Members have access to this resource and all other resources on the site.

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KDS-03 It's Raining, It's Pouring

About this lesson

This guitar lesson plan teaches the children's song 'It's Raining, It's Pouring'. The song uses a single note melody with the occasional partial chord. This is a great way to introduce your student to chords that use one or two fingers at a time. The lyrics are given along with the music so the student can match up the words to the notes they play. Chords are given so you can accompany the student.

This lesson plan uses an inbuilt incentive to encourage the student to practice the song. At the bottom of the page there is a line drawing of an old man in bed along with clouds across the page. The idea is that once the student can properly play the entire song, they have your permission to color in the drawing and to draw rain down the side of the page out of the clouds. The student can even draw in their own clouds around the page. This simple incentive can make a big difference to the student's motivation. Instead of merely learning the song, they have an extra reason to practice. Even know the reward might seem trivial, it does help. Once the student learns the song and draws the rain as per your instructions, they will take 'ownership' of the song and be more likely to keep practicing it. Every time they see their colored in drawing it will remind them of the reward for practice.

Only Live and Teach Guitar Members have access to this resource and all other resources on the site.

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KDS-02 Eensy Weensy Spider

About this lesson plan

This lesson covers the children's song 'Eensy Weensy Spider'. The song uses a single note melody with the occasional partial chord. This is a great way to introduce your student to chords that use one or two fingers at a time. The lyrics are given along with the music so the student can match up the words to the notes they play. Chords are given so you can accompany the student.

This lesson plan uses an inbuilt incentive to encourage the student to practice the song. At the bottom of the page there is a line drawing of a spider. The idea is that once the student can properly play the entire song, they have your permission to color in the drawing and to draw rain down the side of the page washing the spider away. Then you can tell the student to draw a big yellow sun on the top of the page. This simple incentive can make a big difference to the student's motivation. Instead of merely learning the song, they have an extra reason to practice. Even know the reward might seem trivial, it does help. Once the student learns the song and draws the rain as per your instructions, they will take 'ownership' of the song and be more likely to keep practicing it. Every time they see their colored in drawing it will remind them of the reward for practice.

Only Live and Teach Guitar Members have access to this resource and all other resources on the site.

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KDS-01 Baa Baa Black Sheep

About this lesson plan

This lesson covers the song 'Baa Baa Black Sheep'. The song uses a single note melody with the occasional partial chord. This is a great way to introduce your student to chords that use one or two fingers at a time. The lyrics are given along with the music so the student can match up the words to the notes they play. Chords are given so you can accompany the student.

This lesson plan uses an inbuilt incentive to encourage the student to practice the song. At the bottom of the page their is a line drawing. The idea is that once the student can properly play the entire song, they have your permission to color in the drawing. This simple incentive can make a big difference to the student's motivation. Instead of merely learning the song, they have an extra reason to practice. Even know the reward might seem trivial, it does help. Once the student learns the song and colors in the drawing, they will take 'ownership' of the song and be more likely to keep practicing it. Every time they see their colored in drawing it will remind them of the reward for practice.

Only Live and Teach Guitar Members have access to this resource and all other resources on the site.

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If you're not a member yet, find out how our professional materials, resources and support can help you succeed as a guitar teacher here.

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New teaching guide: Children 8-12 years

A new student profile is available to give you an overall idea on what it would be like to teach children between 8-12 years. Common issues are identified along with suggested solutions. If you encounter any of these issues when teaching children in this age range you will have specific advice you can put to use. Read through the student profile if you are considering teaching children in this age range.

Access the student profile here: TPR-02 Children 8-12 years

More student profiles and teaching guides are available in the Teaching Guides section.

TPR-02 Children 8-12 years

About this student profile

Teaching children between 8 and 12 years of age is a lot more straightforward compared to children under 8 years. However this age range does have their own unique set of issues. This student profile will explain the most common issues teachers face when teaching students in this age range. Suggested solutions to each issue is identified to help you if you encounter any of these issues. Read through the profile to get an overall idea on what it would be like to teach children in this age range before deciding if it's right for you.

Only Live and Teach Guitar Members have access to this resource and all other resources on the site.

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Related guides

TPR-00 How to use these student profiles

TPR-01 Children under 8 years