In addition to offering a regular summer piano camp for my students this year, like I’ve done for the past several years, I’m also planning to offer a pre-piano camp for 3-5 year olds. I’ve taught preschool music classes in a co-op setting before, but haven’t ever offered such a camp here in my studio. I am really thrilled about this possibility, though, because I think it’s so helpful for children to have musical experiences prior to commencing piano lessons. I’m still working out all the lesson plan details, but I came across this wonderful collection of Early Childhood Online Music Resources on Joy’s Color In My Piano blog several weeks ago and have had it bookmarked ever since!
The format I’m planning for this pre-piano camp is a 1-hour class once a week on a weekday morning. The hour will be divided into 10-minute increments with a whole variety of different activities to keep the children engaged and excited about what they are learning. I have quite a few families interested in the class, so I think we’ll have to limit the size, but I’m really excited to see how it goes!
Have any of you all put together your own class like this before? Any resources or suggestions that you think would be helpful in planning and preparing for it? I’ll take all the input I can get! 
Pre-piano camps are so fun! I’ve done 2 for kindergarten age students. http://lowepianostudio.blogspot.com/search/label/pre-piano Last year, my students really enjoyed doing some of the pieces along with the CD in My First Piano Adventures, and we also had fun with Robert Pace’s Piano Magic. With students as young as 3, music and movement activities are great – anything that helps them express a steady beat with big muscle motions, or to respond to high and low, loud and soft, smooth and bouncy (etc.) with their bodies.
I agree with maybe using My First Piano Adventures as a resource by Faber…. it has a wonderful CD and many activities that could be used with a small group. That age also loves using a parachute, I got one at Costco a few years ago before summer. We do many songs and movement activities that teach beginning terms.
Hi Natalie!
I’ve been teaching early childhood music and movement classes through Musikgarten for 3 years now. The curriculum covers birth to age 5, culminating in a keyboard class for 6-9, after which point I am so pleased to take them on as piano students. They have wonderful summer programs for the entire age range, and the piano preparation (or preparation for any musical instrument), is unparalleled. You seem like someone who would really excel with young children and I would encourage you to look into the program. I invite other readers to do so as well!