Kids Guitar article
Common Kids Guitar Mistakes to Avoid
Most 'why won't my kid practise' problems trace back to the guitar, not the child. Here are the avoidable mistakes I see most, and the fixes that actually work.
Every "why won't my kid practise" question I've ever heard traces back to one of a small handful of avoidable mistakes with the kids guitar itself, and hardly any of them are the child's fault. Here's what I'd flag, in the order I usually see them go wrong.
Buying a kids guitar by age instead of by reach
The age printed on a box is a rough marketing guess, not a measurement. Two children the same age can differ enormously in height and hand size, and a guitar that's genuinely too big makes basic tasks — reaching the first fret, holding it securely, forming a chord without strain — unnecessarily difficult from day one. Sit the child down with the actual instrument before buying, and judge by whether they can reach comfortably, not by what the packaging suggests.
Skipping the kids guitar setup entirely
This is the big one, and it's almost invisible if you don't know to look for it. An instrument straight off a factory line, with no setup check, can have action set far higher than it needs to be — meaning the strings sit further above the fretboard than they should, and every note takes real finger strength to fret cleanly. A child struggling with high action doesn't conclude "this guitar needs adjusting"; they conclude "I'm no good at this," which is exactly backwards, and exactly the sort of thing that ends a hobby in a fortnight.
Sizing up "so it lasts longer"
I understand the instinct — guitars aren't cheap, and buying big feels like good value. In practice it just delays the comfortable stage you were trying to reach in the first place. An oversized instrument is harder to hold, harder to fret, and harder to enjoy, for a saving you could just as easily make later when the next size up is actually needed.
Mismatching strings and instrument
Nylon and steel strings are not interchangeable, and putting steel strings on an instrument built for nylon adds tension it wasn't designed for, which can genuinely damage it over time. If you're not certain what's fitted, or what a replacement set should be, ask before you touch anything — it's a five-minute question that avoids a genuinely costly mistake.
Assuming a "kids guitar" label means it's actually set up for kids
Words like "junior" or "student" on a box describe the size category, not the quality of the setup or the build. Plenty of instruments marketed this way are perfectly decent; plenty aren't, and the label alone tells you nothing either way. Judge the actual instrument — neck straightness, fret seating, tuning stability — rather than trusting the marketing to have done that work for you.
Forcing long practice sessions
An hour of forced practice tends to teach a child that guitar equals a chore, which is precisely the opposite lesson you want to land. Short, frequent sessions — ten or fifteen minutes, most days — build the habit and the finger strength without the resentment. If a session's clearly not working, ending it early does far less damage than grinding through it.
Common mistakes at a glance
| Mistake | Why it backfires |
|---|---|
| Buying by age, not reach | Wrong size makes basic playing unnecessarily hard |
| Skipping setup | High action gets blamed on the player, not the instrument |
| Sizing up early | Delays comfort for a saving that could be made later anyway |
| Wrong strings fitted | Risks damage and poor tone, on top of poor playability |
| Trusting "junior" labelling | Tells you nothing about actual build or setup quality |
| Forcing long sessions | Turns practice into a chore instead of a habit |
A quicker path than trial and error
If you're starting from scratch, our complete guide to kids guitars and our buyer's guide cover sizing and setup properly before you spend anything, and our guide to kids guitars by budget is worth a look once you know what you're after. If the guitar's already been bought, our beginner's guide covers a sensible first few weeks.
The bottom line
Nearly every one of these kids guitar mistakes gets made before a single chord is ever attempted, which is honestly good news: they're all avoidable with a bit of care at the buying stage. Get the size, the setup and the strings right, skip the marketing labels, and keep sessions short, and you'll remove almost every obstacle that isn't actually about learning to play.
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