Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Best Keyboard Toy for kids?

This is a drastic thought-shift from all these serious discussions about digital grands, but with Christmas coming up -- and with seeing my kids fighting over who gets to play on my old keyboard -- I was reminded of one of my favorite toys as a kid, a <a href=http://www.casiosk1.com/sk1.cfm>Casio SK-1</a>. 32 keys, 8-bit sound, (I want to say 4-note polyphony?) and FUN!

It looks like all the keyboards I can find online are either a really cheap kids' toy, or a bigger, 61-key or so, "instrument" -- maybe I'm romanticizing my SK-1 and it was really a cheap kids' toy, too, but in my mind it felt like a slightly higher-quality cheap kids' toy.

And I should be clear here: I'm not looking for a practice instrument or any grand-like instrument, I'm looking for a toy, something that I can get my cousins' kids for Christmas that will be fun to play and maybe a little educational.

Right now it looks like the front-runner may be the Hannah Montana Keyboard But I think if that had been inflicted on me as a child, I probably would've taken up skateboarding instead.

Wiliams Encore (sorry...)

The Yamaha PSR line or Casio WK series would be your best option. And don't go with the hype on light-up keys.

I'd say the Casio SA-75 would be the way to go.

Yeah, Les, I played a few light-up key models and they feel cheap in a way that's hard to quantify, but just felt and sounded like they didn't have a chance at holding up to a preschooler.

The SA-75 looks nice -- more than I was wanting to pay, but it does look like the modern-day descendant to my 4-tone polyphonic Casio of old.

We bought one of Casio's mini sized lighted key keyboard about five years ago. It put up will all kinds of abuse. We finally gave it away as our children had outgrown it.

The one you want will take you over budget - just like a real piano!