My son will be turning 3 at the end of the year and I wish to give him a violin. He is small for his size. Still wearing 12-18month clothes. Can anyone recommend a violin size? I am just planning to get a cheap one from eBay for now ans will invest more at a later date.
I see the sizes go as small as 1/32.
If you say he’s small for his size, I’d suggest a 1/32. The next size up, I believe is a 1/16. That’s what my son had when he started at age 3, but he’s somewhat tall for his age (in the 75th percentile). However, a 1/32 may be hard to find. If you can, arrange for him to meet his teacher first and have her measure him. She’ll have a better idea of what would be best and she’ll also give you some tips on purchasing one.
Korrale4kq-
Before you buy, try!!!
We took Alex to be measured for one at 28 month. (she is about 60th percentile US size). Still, bigger than your son…I was told that they grow and change so much between 28-36 months, it is better to settle on a rental contract (that allows you to exchange sizes- she has already changed from a 1/32 to a 1/16—in 3 months!
Hope this helps bit!
yes i think the violin teacher shall be the best person to assist you on the size.
last time my daughter’s teacher need to check on the position on the shoulder and finger for her.
too small or too big will make the child tired after just a short period of playing.
there are many sound qualilty too. If you just want your child to have fun then student grade shall be ok.
I live in a small town in Ohio. We don’t have a rental option here, and I doubt I could afford it either.
James also won’t have a teacher even if there was one here. I played violin in high school. I will actually be having my parents bring my violin from Australia for me so I can start playing again. I love the idea of being able to play with James.
I am not too worried about sound quality at this age, I learnt on a skylark! Which might possibly be the worst violin made. 
eBay has cheaper violins starting around $30. They won’t be great but it is all we can afford as a low income family.
Keri because our kids are days apart you might understand his size in context. James is currently 23-24lbs and 34-35inches. He has always been under percentile, he may be in low percentiles now. He was under 21 lbs at his 2 year appointlment, he had grown a lot these last few months.
Thank you everyone, knowing other 3 year olds are able to play 1/16, makes me lean towards that.
I will measure his arm length tomorrow.
My daughter started when she was 31/2 and uses a 1/16 sized violin. She just turned 4 and is small for her age 35" and 30lbs. It worked out fine. Her dad is teaching her how to play and she is almost ready to move up to a 1/8. We had her try a 1/8 sized violin recently, but her dad thought it would be better for her to stay with this size for a little longer.
Hi Korrale4kq,
Are you planning to teach him using the Suzuki method or traditional violin lessons?
I am not sure to be honest. I learnt traditionally myself, so I have no experience with Suzuki. I will have to do some research into it to see of it is possible to teach Suzuki without prior training. I would be willing to look into DVDs if any quality ones exist also.
I am in no rush for him to learn. I don’t expect him to start more focused lessons until he is 5. But I want him to have a couple of years being used to an instrument and building the muscle memory of how to hold it correctly.
I guess I should mention, the violin might end up being a flop. And I am not going to push it if he hates it. My son is extremely anti music. Nearly evey baby and toddler I know loves to bop along and dance to. They love to try and sing. My son has absolutely no interest. he knows no finger rhymes. He actually yells at me to stop when I sing.
However he is mathematically inclined. And I know music and math are patterns, so he make take to it. I just don’t know.
What I do know is that I don’t want him to miss an opportunity that he could have.
If you are considering Suzuki, you might find the following helpful:
http://www.amazon.com/Nurtured-Love-Classic-Approach-Education/dp/0874875846/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b
http://www.amazon.com/The-Suzuki-Violinist-Teachers-International/dp/0874876052
The first book is a more general introduction to Suzuki’s philosophy and teaching principles. The second book is a practical and comprehensive guide to teaching violin using his methods. It also includes chapters on how to start a beginner, ideas and games for lesson time, and technical pointers for home practice for each piece in the Suzuki books.
A large part of Suzuki’s method is ear training so listening to the CD of the pieces in the book is part of the daily routine: http://www.amazon.com/Suzuki-Violin-School-CD-Volume/dp/B0009IG0OS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_5 (If you PM me your email address, I can email you some samples of the pieces.)
And, lastly, a couple of teacher’s blog and youtube channels I have found useful:
http://teachsuzuki.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/AllysonsViolinStudio
HTH! Good luck!
My daughter had a 1/32 violin since Christmas at 14 months. It was still too big for her then, (couldn’t even hold it properly) but has outgrown in by 2 years of age. She is now 3.5 yrs and I think is still a 1/16 size. Our violin teacher told us that, as a rule of thumb, the child is ready for the next violin size up if the hand (wrist) extends the end of the violin while the violin is rested on the child’s shoulder.
Thank you Aangeles. I sent you a PM.
Thanks for all the input eveyone. I am pretty confident in deciding on a 1/16 violin now. Just a little cheap one. If he takes to it, when he needs to size up we will look into a higher quality one.