Some of you may not know that although I’m currently staying at home while my kids are little, I am an elementary music teacher by profession. My last job was teaching just Kindergarten music. What a fun age that is! Young kids learn best through play, so I had fun every day letting kids experience the joys of music through play. One thing I tried to instill in my students was that anyone could make music and they could use anything to make music. Kids can make percussion instruments from just about anything.
- Save the lid of a veggie can. Wash, dry and fill with a dozen beans before sealing with duct tape. The kids can even decorate this shaker with construction paper and stickers.
- Use spoons to tap on the table or floor.
- Use formula cans, cofefee cans, oatmeal canisters etc. to make drums. Let the kids experiment with how deep the sound will be from each different shape and size.
- Hang old keys from a hanger and have the kids play them with a spoon.
- Save pop bottles to fill to different heights with water. The kids can either hit them or blow into them to make different pitches. (use room temp water)
- Use brown paper sacks to play a rhythm by opening and closing.
- Scrape the side of a ribbed veggie can.
- If you’re really industrious create a pan flute by cutting straws to different lengths and attaching them together.
The possibilities are endless to create musical fun from objects you already have at home! If you haven’t seen the Sesame Street video Sesame Street – Let’s Make Music
One of the most impressive homemade instrument sounds is the one you get from the cardboard tubing that carpet wraps around. It makes a lovely deep thump when struck. You can cut them to different lengths to give different pitches. Most kid songs can be sung over a Do-Sol bass so really you only need two of them to make an impact. Plus kids love things that are really big or really small.