The 10 Best Piano Mats
Special Honors
Sharper Image Giant Piano Mat This soft, flexible keyboard features 25 touch-sensitive keys and is large enough to perform a duet with a parent, sibling, or friend. It offers five play modes, 10 pre-programmed songs, and can mimic the sounds of nine instruments. It includes a handy input jack so you can play along with your smartphone or tablet. It’s suitable for ages three and up and is designed with built-in, dual speakers and adjustable volume. sharperimage.com
Enabling Devices Piano Mat From a company that offers products that put goals within the reach of people of all abilities and ages, this keyboard plays the sounds of musical instruments like the guitar, violin, and piano. Kids and adults alike can enjoy the 10 built-in melodies or make up ones of their own. It’s a fun and educational tool for teaching cause and effect and improving gross motor skills. enablingdevices.com
Editor's Notes
October 23, 2020:
The piano mat seems to have evolved into the compact and travel-friendly "roll up piano" since this list was last updated, so we added the Lujex Foldable as our new top pick as it gives serious piano players a convenient way of always being able to practise, no matter where they are. What's more, it has a MIDI output, so it can plugged straight into your computer's digital audio workstation for making music. The preset sounds are fairly realistic, but having a sustain pedal too helps give players that real feel when an actual piano isn't on hand.
Similarly, we added the Picasso Tiles, as this is also a roll up piano, except directed at young children. It has colorful rainbow keys, 8 tones, some demos for inspiration, and somewhat unexpectedly, a sustain button for adding a little color and realism to the sound. This would be a great choice for parents who want to encourage their child's interest in playing piano but aren't sure about shelling out for a large keyboard just yet.
We removed the Tencoz Portable and the Winfun Giant due to availability issues, and felt that as these items were fairy similar to other choices in terms of what they offered, it was better that we included the above "roll up pianos" instead.
Again, because of lack of availability, we had to say goodbye to the BigMouth Potty that lets you play while on the toilet, and decided to replace it with the award-winning Fisher-Price Step 'n Play. This item can be used in myriad ways to inspire your babies as they grow from lying on their tummies to taking their first steps.
December 12, 2019:
Our selection features several models that resemble traditional pianos, with their strictly black-and-white keys, which makes these fun for adults as well as children. This includes the Play22 Original, our top pick, which features 24 touch-sensitive keys, including working sharps and flats.
In this update, we added in several colorful models with exciting bells and whistles that are sure to appeal to young kids. This includes the Kidzlane Jumbo, which has numbered keys in every color of the rainbow. It’s six feet wide and offers large “buttons” up top so you can play the sounds of the piano and 7 other instruments. Just hop onto the button or press it with your hand to switch modes. Like many others, this one offers record and playback functionality so kids can choose to replay their masterpieces for the family at a later time. Another vibrant choice is the Cyiecw Playmat, which features a corner panel that lights up with the songs’ rhythms, something many who own this mat say their children love. It’s equipped with cards to teach kids 10 fun classic tunes.
Many a parent has fond memories of visiting the iconic toy store FAO Schwarz, and just as many remember well the 1988 Tom Hanks movie “Big” where the star plays “Heart and Soul” before a crowd of onlookers. If you’re a fan of the movie, the FAO Schwarz Step 'N' Play might be the choice for you, and you can hop on it right along with the kids and forego your daily workout at the gym.
A couple other new additions are suitable for small kids: The Discovery Kids Keyboard features just eight keys, so it won’t overwhelm young preschoolers as they hop and dance. It features a fun memory game where they repeat sequences of notes, as well as an eye-catching blue border with colorful musical symbols and stars. The Tencoz Portable can teach animal sounds, as it mimics dogs, cats, birds, cattle, and more. And you won’t have to worry about putting your little one on it, as its fabric is nontoxic, stain-resistant, and comfortable for small feet and hands.
No matter which piano mat catches your eye, make sure your child falls within the manufacturer’s stated age range, and always supervise young children during play for safety’s sake.
Check out our list of best toddler pianos for both floor mats and slightly larger keyboards designed to teach youngsters to play music as well as learn numbers, shapes, and colors.
Bigger Than The Movies
Many are designed for getting toddlers and young children interested in music and are equipped with buttons for a variety of musical instrument sounds.
If you’re old enough to remember the Tom Hanks classic hit “Big” or if you are at least familiar with top 80s movie references, then you have probably watched Tom Hanks dancing on the giant piano in FAO Schwarz.
It’s no longer just a fun daydream to have a toy like this in your home. These piano mats work best on hard floors and operate on batteries. Some are made to be compatible with CDs and MP3 players so your kids can enjoy their favorite music and learn to play along.
Many are designed for getting toddlers and young children interested in music and are equipped with buttons for a variety of musical instrument sounds. Some are even versatile enough to provide recording and playback modes so your little Mozart can compose his own tunes and play them back for you at a later time.
Some of these mats are more than just piano mats. They are fully functional activity mats that are equipped with additional sound effects and can double as a play area for running toy cars and trucks across while music plays in the background.
The piano keys are good for more than just haphazard play time. Each key corresponds with the correct note and helps your child learn about music as they play.
Not only are these piano mats great for musical learning, they are perfect for getting in some indoor exercise and preventing children from being sedentary even if the weather isn’t cooperating. These large piano mats encourage your child to jump around in an effort to create his next great tune and can be used with friends for even more fun.
Music For The Mind, Body, And Soul
It has been long believed that music is beneficial to mind, body, and soul. Music is especially important to children in that it greatly enhances their mental and emotional development from an early age. It encourages their body and minds to work together and, many would argue, helps them to become more successful, well-rounded individuals.
It has been long believed that music is beneficial to mind, body, and soul.
It’s not only beneficial to listen to music - it is highly beneficial to learn to sing and play music as well. Dancing is helpful for motor skill development. Singing and listening to the words of songs helps encourage language development. It is also a strong avenue for learning self-expression. All of these things are important to a child’s physical and cognitive development.
One could argue that participation in music can be important to social learning for people from a wide variety of age groups. They not only learn how to develop new friendships, but they also improve their concentration, discipline, creativity, and ability to cooperate with others.
Music benefits infants by helping them learn to mimic sounds and recognize melody and rhythm. Toddlers improve their motor skills and memory by participating in dancing and word repetition. Preschoolers learn to express their creativity by going with the flow and singing and dancing in whatever manner suits them best.
Grade school children improve their memories and teamwork abilities by learning to play actual instruments, memorizing songs, and learning what types of music they like and dislike. Teenagers use participation in music to establish friendships and a form of creative expression.
Music can be a great social experience for all ages. It can be a strong bonding experience for siblings and other family members and can even help children form lifetime friendships.
This is why purchasing a piano mat for fun and learning can be greatly beneficial to your child, no matter his age. The right piano mat for the appropriate age group will encourage your child’s natural interest in music and fun.
A Brief History of the Piano Mat
The history of the piano mat begins with the history of the piano itself. Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori invented the piano in 1709 in Padua, Italy. He was a professional harpsichord maker who wanted a way to vary the instrument volume. The harpsichord, while able to play varying notes, could only play at one volume. The piano, however, allowed for better musical expression due to the musician’s ability to control the volume while playing.
The oldest piano surviving today is from 1720 and is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
It was originally called the gravicembalo col piano e forte which roughly translates to “soft and loud keyboard instrument.” The oldest piano surviving today is from 1720 and is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Many types of pianos have been produced over the years that extend beyond the basic hammers, strings, and ivory keys.
Player pianos are just like the original pianos, except that they use electronics and an internal memory system to play previously recorded titles automatically creating a beautiful live performance. They are great for learning more about music in general or simply sitting back and listening.
Digital pianos are more than the electronic keyboards purchased in stores. They produce a rich, genuine sound that is difficult to rival. They include a number of features to aid beginner piano players in learning to make quality music.
However, none of these advancements have replaced the traditional acoustic piano. Nothing can quite reproduce the sound, and conductors, composers, and songwriters still prefer the rich traditional sound of the concert grand piano.
All of these advancements have led to the introduction of keyboards and piano mats to children to spark an interest in music early in life and teach them the basics while having fun until they get their hands on the real thing.