There are a ton of reasons to get your children into playing
music at an early age. It gives them a hobby they may keep for life; it teaches
discipline and routine while fostering creativity, and it’s just plain fun! We’ve
always thought that the perfect instrument was the ukulele for kids.
The Uke fits perfectly into a child’s hands, so it’s not intimidating. The four strings make it easier to make progress with than a guitar, and the sound it makes is hard not to love. Especially for kids, the happy go lucky vibe of the ukulele is perfect.
PRODUCT | FEATURES | ||
 | Mahalo Rainbow Series MR1 Soprano Ukulele |
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 | Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele |
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 | Kala Learn to Play Ukulele Soprano Starter Kit, Satin Mahogany |
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 | Luna Guitars Vintage Spruce Soprano Ukulele Satin |
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If you’re in a hurry, the table above lays out our favorite kid’s ukuleles so you can just check the price an go!
Want a slightly better instrument than the ones on this list? Looking for yourself and not for your kid? Check out our full list of great ukuleles for beginners instead!
The Best Ukulele for Kids
Down below you’ll find a description and review of each of our favorites, with more details and analysis that we could fit into the table above!
If you continue to read on we’ve also included a buying guide so if you want to shop around at your local music shop you have a good idea what to look for! Not all ukuleles are created equally and we tell you how to spot the good from the bad!
Mahalo MR1LBU Rainbow Series Soprano Ukulele
It isn’t very hard to make the ukulele fun, with it’s small size and naturally up beat sound it does a pretty good job. A good way to make it more fun for kids to learn to play ukulele? Make it colorful!
The rainbow ukulele comes in 10 different colors, including black, light blue, blue, green, pink, purple, red, white, orange and yellow. Pick your son or daughters favorite color and watch their face light up!
This is one of the best selling ukuleles on the market and has a surprisingly great sound for the price. It is a plastic instrument so it won’t have some of the resonance you get from real wood, but will hold up to the beating a child will likely put it through much better.
PROS
- Fun selection of colors
- Aquila Strings
- Dolphin Machine Tuning Heads
- Optional starter pack
CONS
- Plastic
Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele
If you’re kids aren’t exactly in love with the bright colors of the Rainbow series, the classic look of the Diamond Head DU-150 might be much to their liking, in the same price range!
This instrument also boasts a maple construction for both the body and neck with a hardwood fretboard that makes the instrument feel like a much more expensive model. Guitar style tuners are a nice touch to help the uke stay in tune, even with the toughest of children’s strumming practice.
The instrument does come with a carrying case, but even for inexpensive ukuleles it is pretty poor quality. As you play the instrument and get better you’ll also want to upgrade the strings as the nylon ones included leave a little to be desired.
All that being said, if you need an instrument at a low price it is hard to beat the Diamond Head DU-150. It will get your child started playing uke until you know if they like it or not!
PROS
- Wood Construction
- Classic look and sound
- Guitar style tuners
- Great Value for Price
- Gig Bag included
CONS
- Poor Strings
- Cheap case
Kala Learn to Play Ukulele Soprano Starter Kit, Satin Mahogany
If you already own your own ukulele, or have ever shopped for one, you’ve heard the name Kala. Arguably the most sought after name in ukuleles to learn to play on, this starter kit is designed with beginners and kids in mind.
The mahogany body on this instrument gives it a very pleasant sound and is an upgrade over plastic (although not as durable!). Other nice additions include the Aquila strings, open gear tuners and NuBone nut and saddle.
The tote bag that comes with this is much nicer than the one with the Diamondhead Uke, and 20 page quick start guide will get you and your child playing in no time!
Last but not least, Kala has thrown in a great bonus for kids learning ukulele. In this pack you get access to Kala Brand’s online music lessons via their website.
PROS
- Mahogany Construction
- Aquila Strings
- Quick Start Guide
- Free Online Lessons
CONS
- You can find better instruments for the same price if you don’t need/want the starter kit
Luna Vintage Spruce Soprano Ukulele
Our favorite, and the best ukulele for kids, is the Luna Vintage soprano ukulele.
The construction of this ukulele is in a class above the rest of the instruments on this list. With a solid spruce top, mahogany body, and walnut fretboard and bridge, we love the sound of this uke.
We actually have included this ukulele on our best ukulele for beginners as well since we like it so much!
This instrument is at a slightly higher price point than the others, and might not be appropriate for a young child, but if you have a kid who is starting to understand the value on an instrument this can be an amazing first uke!
PROS
- Spruce Top
- Great Detail and Style
- Mahogany Body
- Instrument that will last years
- Walnut fretboard and bridge
CONS
- Higher price than the other ukes on the list
- Might not be the best choice for young kids
Buying Guide for a Ukulele for Kids
Just like any other present you get your kids, it’s
important that you know exactly what you’re getting. Just because the uke is a
fun, simple little instrument doesn’t mean it is easy to shop for.
In the section below we’ll go through the five different
things you’ll want to consider when buying a child’s first ukulele.
Ukulele Size
The first thing we want to cover is the four different sizes
of ukulele. We recommend two for kids, while we generally stay away from the bigger
two when shopping for children.
The two sizes we like for kids are the soprano and the concert.
The soprano is the smallest of the uke family and is perfect for kids. At only
21 inches long it has the smallest body of the four, these ukuleles are easy for
children to hold and strum.
The concert ukulele is also a good choice, especially for
children who are a bit older. This instrument still gives the higher pitch,
bright sound you’d expect from a uke that kids really enjoy.
The two sizes we generally don’t recommend for kids before
the teenage stage are the tenor and the baritone. These are a bit bigger than
the soprano and baritone and thus a little harder to handle.
Kids can play the larger ukulele sizes, but many of the benefits
of the smaller instrument are lost when you start looking at the baritone and
tenor.
Quality of Materials
With a kid’s ukulele you’ll find them made from either a
plastic or a wood.
Plastic tends to be the cheaper option, but it also tends to
be more brittle and doesn’t always produce the cleanest notes when strummed. On
the upside, as your child grows it will be much easier to replace an
inexpensive first uke.
Your other option is a real wood. Most of the ukuleles you’ll
find for kids are a laminate, meaning they have a sheet of mahogany or spruce
laid over a mash of cheaper wood options. This is the way most inexpensive string
instruments are made and still results in sound that is crisper than plastic.
A wood ukulele might cost you slightly more upfront, but
because they are more durable and product a better sound, they are something that
could potentially stay with your kid for years before needing to be replaced or
upgraded.
Design
Many ukuleles for kids come in fun colors and designs that
help attract a child’s eye and hook them from the start.
This is really a matter of preference for each child, but
make sure you aren’t sacrificing sound quality for a look.
A poor ukulele will never quite sound right, so even when
you’re playing it correctly it can be slightly ‘off’. This could lead to
frustration for your son or daughter, and a impediment to them having fun playing.
Accessories
A lot of the ukuleles on this list come with a few extra
goodies to sweeten the deal for you. Things like gig bags, tuners, song books,
cleaning cloths, extra strings, and DvDs are all fairly common accessories for
ukuleles.
None of these pieces will be amazing, but it can be a nice
bonus to have all the different pieces you could need to start. You can upgrade
them individually as the need arises.
Price
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that your kid will like
playing any instrument, including the ukulele. With that in mind we normally think
the best ukulele for kids stick in the $40-$70 range.
When you fall under the $40 range you tend to start getting
some really poor-quality instruments that just don’t sound right, and anything
over $70 is more than they need to start.
If they’ve already got a uke, shown that they really enjoy
it and want to continue playing, you can find some great options in the
$70-$100 range that we’ve reviewed in our articles about sopranos and concert
ukuleles!
The Final Note
With this guide you have everything you need to know to pick
out the best ukulele for your child. Once you do your kid will be supplied with
hours of entertainment and a lifelong hobby!
Once your son or daughter gets their hands on their new
instrument, make sure you send them to our ukulele section, where we
have articles on chords, practice techniques and easy songs!