Piano at home, before lessons.

Look for a book made for ages 3–6 that needs little reading, uses pictures, and can be repeated many times. Toddler Piano Book uses a natural language approach, picture-based Sing & Play and Look & Play pages, rhythm pages and a tempo ladder. It is laminated and spiral bound with dry-erase markers so pages can be done again and again.

Young children can start with short, playful piano activities: singing and playing, matching pictures to the keys, and clapping or tapping rhythms. Toddler Piano Book is built for ages 3–6 and avoids heavy reading and writing so small children can take part.

Work through one page at a time. On Sing & Play and Look & Play pages, the child circles each piano picture and tempo they practice and complete. On rhythm pages, practice on the closed piano first, then open it, and draw a smiley face on finished pages. Aim to do each exercise 2 or 3 times, and move up the tempo ladder from #1 (40–60) to #5 (90–100). Video tutorials are included to guide you.

Short and regular works best at this age. Toddler Piano Book is designed for 10 to 15 minutes a day, tops, done together as a parent–child activity. End while your child is still having fun.

Many preschool piano books are paper lesson books written for use with a teacher. Toddler Piano Book is built for a parent and child at home before lessons begin. Its laminated, spiral-bound pages are written on and wiped clean with dry-erase markers, it uses a tempo ladder to show progress, and video tutorials are included.

Many parents are not ready to commit to the time and cost of weekly lessons for a very young child. Toddler Piano Book lets you start at home first, see how your child responds, and build a foundation of keyboard familiarity, rhythm and steady tempo before formal lessons begin.

Look for interest in music, the ability to sit with you for a few minutes, and following simple one- or two-step directions. A simple way to find out is to try short practice at home. If your child enjoys the Sing & Play, Look & Play and rhythm pages and can repeat them, that is a good sign they are ready for formal lessons.

$129 for the physical book, with free shipping. It is a one-time purchase, with no monthly lesson fees.

No. No music background is needed. The book is designed for parents, uses a natural language approach, and includes video tutorials that show you how to guide each page.

Either works: an acoustic piano or a full-size keyboard. A higher-quality instrument is best, because so much of the early work is listening, and full-size keys let your child explore patterns up and down the whole instrument.

Yes. Toddler Piano Book is written for a parent and child side by side. In 10–15 minutes a day you sing, listen, clap and play together, so piano becomes something your family does together. No music background is needed.

Ear training and listening, playing and exploring the whole keyboard, matching visual patterns up and down the instrument, rhythm, and a steady tempo using the tempo ladder.

Yes. This is Level 1, the pilot of the series. My goal is 5,500 copies, and sales help fund Level 2 and the next books.

No heavy reading is needed. The natural language approach eliminates the need for lots of reading and writing, which makes it suitable for small children.

All sales are final. No returns.

Checkout currently accepts addresses in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Questions? Email wfsimpleteacher@gmail.com.