So, your kid has decided to pick up the ukulele! Or, perhaps it was recommended to you by a person who understands music, and which instruments are easy to learn for kids. Regardless, ukulele is the right choice. It's smaller than a guitar, has less strings, the neck is smaller and it uses nylon strings, which are easier on your fretting hand. I'm sure that in the coming years, your child will appreciate you for giving them a chance at learning music. That was the case with me!
I am very passionate about music and all of my recommendations are based on my own research and personal experience in music (over 15 years). You can find my YouTube channel at the bottom of the page. If you buy something through my links, I get a small commission from Amazon & eBay at no extra cost to you.
There are 5 different ukulele sizes for you to choose from:
Soprano ukulele is the smallest one of the bunch (best choice for the youngest aspiring musicians).
Concert ukulele is the next step up from soprano in size.
Tenor ukulele is the second biggest traditional ukulele.
Baritone ukulele is the biggest traditional ukulele. It's capable of producing some quite low sounding notes when compared to others.
Bass ukulele is kind of in a category of its own. It's meant for those thick & big sounding low notes. Not the first thing you think of when talking about ukuleles, but very cool nonetheless.
Acoustic electric ukulele is an ukulele that can be connected to an amplifier. It's a fantastic feature to have included in your ukulele. Every ukulele size type can have electronics built into them. Some ukuleles even have a built in tuner and an amplifier with special effects like reverb and chorus! Now that's friggin' cool! (I will include one just like this on this list).
My personal recommendation for you is that if your child is very young (10 and below) or if they have very small hands, get them a soprano ukulele. For everybody else, I recommend either concert or tenor size ukulele, simply because they produce a bigger sound and could be more comfortable to play. Baritone and bass ukuleles are for a more specific type of crowd because the sound they produce isn't exactly the traditional ukulele sound that we all know.
It's a good idea to get this ukulele guide to go with your brand new ukulele. This way your child will have a streamlined learning experience. There's less uncertainty and less chances to quit learning the instrument. You always have something to practice. Happy learning!
Best Ukulele Starting Kit
This ukulele starting kit includes everything your kid needs to get started. Gig bag, tuner, strap, plectrum, chord chart and a cleaning cloth. Great value for your money.
100 Dollar Ukulele
If you got exactly 100$ to spend, you could go for this Kala ukulele. Kala is a renown ukulele brand and a lot of people play their instruments every day. They have earned the people's trust and it's very apparent due to all of the positive reviews.
100 Dollar Ukulele With Electronics
This is my other 100 dollar ukulele recommendation, in case you want to have electronic capabilities built into your ukulele. It gives you added versatility and you can use it in a band setting.
Cheapest Soprano Ukulele Starting Kit
This is the cheapest and best soprano sized beginner ukulele kit that you can get brand new. It has everything you need and the price is very, very low.
And most of all, this isn't a flimsy ukulele! The main reason I hate most of the cheap string instruments is their build quality. They are made with terrible, weak parts. This isn't one of those plastic feeling instruments. This won't break from the smallest touch. In fact, that is one of the main things they advertise when they sell this ukulele.
On top of that, it looks good. Great choice, if you're unsure if your kid wants to keep playing after one or two weeks. And it will last for years to come as well, so when they grow up, they can still enjoy the nostalgia of playing their first instrument.
Cheapest Concert Ukulele Starting Kit
This is the cheapest and best concert sized ukulele beginner kit that you can get brand new. Everything is included on this kit.
The standout feature on this ukulele has to be that gorgeous abalone binding at the edge of the body of the ukulele. Makes it look very elegant.
The gig bag also looks very classy. They just did a great job designing this entire starting kit.
Oh, and the entire top, back and sides of the ukulele is made from mahogany. This should be a very durable instrument. I can say that with confidence because my own guitar is entirely made from mahogany and that thing feels very sturdy.
There's also 5 different versions of this same ukulele, so pick the one that you like the look of the most.
Cheapest Tenor Ukulele Starting Kit
I put this ukulele on the list, because the price is very low, build quality is good and it provides electronic capabilities!
It looks way more expensive than it really is and it's a great added bonus that you can plug it into your amplifier of choice.
Very high value in my eyes. Honestly, I didn't think I'd find something like this for this price.
Cheapest Baritone Ukulele Starting Kit
I found this big boy for you! Price is still under 90$ and you get everything you need to get started.
My favorite part about this specific one is the inlays (the small dots/pictures on the fretboard). They are pleasant to look at. And I also like the binding on the edges of the body of the ukulele.
Cheapest Bass Ukulele Starting Kit
Make room, make room! The BIG CHONKER is here! Remember when I said that these bass ukuleles belong in a category of their own? I wasn't kidding. Look at those big, chonky strings! Those are gonna deliver some boomy tones I tell ya.
I chose this one because it's still quite affordable (less than 140$) and you get everything you need to get started.
You also get the electronics, so you can be heard better in a band setting for example. It's typical for bass instruments to be amplified through an amplifier of some kind. Be it through this kind of system or through a mic.
I've seen these instruments being played and it looks really, really fun. I've even considered getting one myself.
The Modern Ukulele
This has to be the coolest ukulele on planet earth! It's shaped very ergonomically (if you look at the neck of the ukulele, they cut a part of the body away, so you can get to the highest frets easily).
It has a built in amplifier WITH special effects! That's amazing. You can add reverb and/or a chorus effect on your ukulele. You don't need to connect it to anything, you just press a button to toggle it on. Modern technology is so cool.
The entire design of this instrument just screams: "I'm cool and everybody knows it!". In total, there's 6 different colors available.
It comes with everything you need and some extra. Like a capo.
And of course, you can plug it into an amplifier, because it has those electronic capabilities. This all sounds very expensive, but it's for less than 200$. To me, that's just unreal. Color me impressed.
The Wild Card
Cheap price? Check. Electronics? Check. Good looks? Check.
Seemingly this ukulele has everything going for it. At the time of writing this, the price is 35$. That's just crazy. I do not know if the listing price is wrong or what, but that's just amazing.
For the cost of two good meals, you get a ukulele with all these good features. I certainly hope the price stays the same.
Thank You For Giving Your Kid A Chance At Music
There are a vast amount of children in this world that never get a chance to learn an instrument. As we all know, we are victims of our circumstances and we don't get to choose those circumstances. I don't know your specific circumstances, but you chose to help your kid develop a skill that will pay off in the future in one way or another. That has been the case with me for example. I got a guitar as a kid from my mother and father and because of that, I'm now writing this to you. So, thanks for giving that chance to somebody else.
My YouTube channel and who am I?
Hey, I am Pege and I'm a instrumentalist that creates anime and gaming related music covers for my YouTube channel. I'm very enthusiastic about what I do and my biggest love in life is my guitar and producing music in general.
I mostly pick songs that play in very iconic scenes in the shows that I watch. For example, when Kirito and Asuna (from Sword Art Online) buy their first house together. Or when they both fall asleep on the grass outside in the fields of Aincrad.
I'm not in this for fame nor money. Though, both of those things do help me quite a bit! Thanks for reading my article. I hope you find what you were looking for.