Kids Icons — Animal Note Names for Young Beginners

Kids Icons in The Ultimate Piano place an animal on every white key, and the animal's first letter is the note: a cow on C, a dog on D. Children find the right key by looking for the picture rather than reading a letter. With note names switched on (Settings → Display → Keys → Show note names on keys), each key you play also shows its letter above the animal, so the letters become familiar alongside the images.

Kids Icons cover 7 notes — the naturals C, D, E, F, G, A and B — and repeat across every octave on screen. The keyboard shows up to 8 octaves, so a child can start with 1 octave and grow to the full 88 keys of a piano without ever losing the animals. Because the icons live on the white keys, a child sees the same 7 animals no matter how wide the keyboard is set.

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What Kids Icons Do

Kids Icons turn abstract letter names into pictures a young child already knows. Each of the 7 animals starts with the letter of its note, so a beginner who cannot yet read music can still find and name any white key. This visual approach is a well-established idea in early music education, where familiar symbols lower the barrier to a new skill.

The icons are pure display overlays — turning them on never changes the sound, the highlighting, or how the keyboard plays. That means a teacher can flip Kids Icons on for a young student and off for an adult in seconds.

Animal Note Names Reference

Animal note names use one simple rule: the first letter of the animal is the note. The table below lists all 7 natural notes and the animal that represents each one.

How to Enable Kids Icons

Enable Kids Icons from the Settings panel. The animal icons then appear on every white key across all visible octaves.

Path: Settings → Display → Keys → Show kids icons

1. Open Settings (the gear icon in the header)
2. Switch to the Display tab
3. Open the Keys card
4. Turn on Show kids icons

Using Animal Note Names in Lessons

Animal note names give teachers and parents an instant game plan for the very first piano lessons. Instead of asking a child to memorize seven letters, you ask them to find the Elephant or play the Fox — and the note name comes for free.

• Early piano lessons – help beginners link each key to a fun animal image
• Music teachers – use as a visual aid, then capture diagrams for printable worksheets
• Home practice – make practice sessions more engaging for children
• Music games – invent quick games like "Find the Elephant" or "Play the Fox"

Tips for Parents and Teachers

• Introduce just 2 or 3 animals at a time, then add more
• Ask the child to name the animal before playing the note
• Build short tunes using animal names in place of letters
• Combine Kids Icons with Toggle Mode so children can build patterns at their own pace

Note: Kids Icons appear on white keys only. The 7 animal icons repeat across every octave on the keyboard.

Related: Explore chords and scales visually in Learning Mode. Start Playing right away. Adjust the keyboard in Settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the Kids Icons for?

Young beginners. Kids Icons are designed for children who are just starting to learn note names on the piano — a child who cannot read letters yet can still find the cow or the fox — and the 7 animal mnemonics make each note fun and memorable.

Which animals are used as animal note names?

7 animals, one per natural note: Cow = C, Dog = D, Elephant = E, Fox = F, Giraffe = G, Alligator = A, Bear = B. Each animal's name begins with the letter of the note it represents.

Do Kids Icons appear on black keys too?

No. Kids Icons appear on the white keys only, because those keys are the 7 natural notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B). The animal icons repeat across every octave on the keyboard.

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