Kids Piano
A big rainbow piano with every note named. For ages 3 to 8.
For grown-ups
The piano fills the whole screen: ten white keys from middle C up to E, with the sharps between them, or eight long keys from C to C when the phone is held upright. Every key has its note name printed on it (C, C♯, D ...) and plays one soft note made on the device. A pressed key moves down and its name shows big at the top, so it works with the sound off too.
Above the keys, one tap switches between Free play and any of the five songs, even with the lock on. The sound button has three steps: one wave is normal, two waves is loud, a cross is off.
Free play (ages 3 and up): any key, any time. There is no time limit and nothing interrupts it: no "All done", no praise pop-ups, and the screen stays on where the browser allows it. Play a song (ages 4 and up): the screen dims around the next key to tap and the song's words show at the top. A different key still plays its note, with no buzzer, and the bright key waits. One song, then "All done". The songs take turns, easiest first: Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Old MacDonald.
Child lock: the piano opens locked when it starts from the games list. Locked, the top bar is dark blue with a frame around the screen and the lock says "Locked": only the keys, the switch above the keys, the sound button and the lock work. The house is greyed out, and there is no right-click or long-press menu, zoom, pull-down or swipe back. Unlocked, the bar is yellow and the lock says "Unlocked". To unlock, hold the lock for 3 seconds, then tap the answer to a sum of two numbers from 4 to 9. A wrong answer keeps it locked, and the next hold brings a new sum (tapping the closed lock shows these steps).
Several fingers can play at once, and a finger sliding along the keys plays each one. On a computer, the letter keys C to G and A, B play their notes (Shift for the sharp), and Tab and Enter work too.
Why it's good for your child, what they learn, and how we designed it
Free, no ads, no sign-in. We count plays without names or anything that identifies your child, and your child is never recorded. Every note is made in code on the device: no recordings, no music.
Why it's good for your child
Kids Piano lets your child explore sound by touch: every key plays one soft note and shows its name, so they hear high and low and see C, D and E as they play. Nothing plays at them, no music or sound effects, only the notes your child makes. The line on the "All done" screen turns it into singing together, where playing and talking with a grown-up helps children learn most (AAP, Zero to Three).
What they learn
The note names C, D, E, F, G, A and B and the sharps between them, that keys further along sound higher, and following a lit key to play a simple song: Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Old MacDonald. Common Core does not cover music, and we don't claim a school standard for it.
How we designed it for ages 3 to 8
Each key plays one soft tone made on the device and there is no background music or sound effects, because those hurt young children's word learning (Bus, Takacs & Kegel 2015); the note name shows on every key and in the caption, so it teaches with the sound off too. A pressed key moves down slowly and nothing loops, since fast cartoons lowered 4-year-olds' attention right after (Lillard & Peterson 2011). Every key is a big tap target with no dragging (Hiniker 2015), a different key just plays its note with no buzzer, and a song ends on "All done" after one song (free play has no time limit, by the parent's choice, so a grown-up decides when to stop), with nothing to collect and no "one more" prompt (Radesky 2022).
About the game
Kids Piano is a free online piano for kids, made for phones and tablets. The keyboard fills the screen, every key shows its note name, and each key plays one soft piano-like note. Little children can tap and listen; older ones can follow the bright key to play a song they know.
How it plays
In Free play your child taps any key: it moves down, plays its note, and its name shows big at the top of the screen. Keys to the right sound higher, keys to the left sound lower. In Play a song the screen dims around the next key, and the song's words show at the top with the word for that key in bold. Tapping it lights the next one, until the song is done and the voice says what your child played.
Two ways to play
- Free play, ages 3 and up: explore the keys, with no time limit.
- Play a song, ages 4 and up: Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Old MacDonald, one song a session.
More: Rhyming Words for listening to the ends of words, and preschool games.
Questions parents ask
Is the kids piano free?
Yes. No sign-in, nothing to download or buy. It runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.
Does my child need to read?
No. Every key plays its note and shows its letter, and in Play a song the next key to tap is the bright one, so children who can't read yet can play.
Does it work with the sound off?
Yes. A pressed key moves down and its note name shows big at the top, so a child still sees which note they played.
How long does a session last?
Play a song is one song, then an All done screen with a line for you to talk about together, and nothing starts by itself. Free play has no time limit, so you decide when to stop.
All done!
Grown-up: