Toddler Talk: Homemade Instruments

Whether you’re looking for activities to do with your toddler on a rainy day or they simply need a diversion so you can get some work done around the house, making homemade instruments is the perfect solution that can also foster within your child a love of music and the arts. Keep your little ones engaged and active with the following kid-friendly instruments made from items around the house.

How to make homemade instruments with household items

homemade_Instruments_1.jpg
iStock

If there’s one thing you learned early on in your child’s life, it’s that anything and everything can be a toy. Odds and ends like boxes, canisters, or pots and pans come in especially handy when you’re trying to keep little ones entertained. The good news is that it only takes a little out-of-the-box thinking to upcycle everyday items into melodic homemade instruments for your toddler.

Handheld maracas
If you saved plastic easter eggs from last year’s backyard hunt, you’ve got the makings for handheld shakers and maracas. Simply drop in dry beans, lentils, or corn kernels, seal the opening with a bead of hot glue and let them shake rattle, and roll to their hearts’ content.

Tissue box guitar
A simple tissue box transforms into a guitar with a little bit of tempera paint and office supplies. Rubber stretched in varying lengths and pulled taut across the opening of the box can creat a variety of sounds. You can do the gluing and stretching while your toddler paints and embellishes their guitar with stickers and pom-poms.

Paper plate tambourine
A paper plate tambourine is a fast and satisfying homemade instrument for a toddler. Have them decorate two paper plates and hole punch around the plates. Simply tie a few (larger) bells to the yarn as you thread the two plates together. Just be sure you’re wholly committed to listening to jingle bell, belling for days on end, before you try this one!

Note: Be conscious of using items that may pose a choking hazard for young children. See below for safety precautions to take when doing crafts with your child.

Homemade instruments for kids: Working with littles

homemade_Instruments_2.jpg
iStock

You likely already heed safety precautions when feeding your toddler. You always cut their grapes or hot dogs into fourths, and offer only safety lollipops and limited hard candy. But, during play, it’s easy to get caught up in the fun and accidentally offer an item that could (lar.

As stated above, an extra dab of glue will keep potential hazards safely sealed away. A general rule of thumb is if the item can fit through a toilet paper roll, it’s likely too small for a child under the age of three. Opt for larger objects and materials when making homemade instruments with younger kids.

You’ll also want to steer clear of toxic substances with noxious fumes like permanent markers and solvent-based glues such as super glue, spray adhesives, and rubber cement.

Similarly, you’ll want to avoid protective sealants and opt for their non-toxic counterparts, like Con-Tact paper or packing tape. Be sure to use non-toxic paints with toddlers and always, supervise little ones when crafting.

Let your toddler take the lead

homemade_Instruments_3.jpg
iStock

Open-ended play, creativity, and imagination are the basis of play in the early years and for those who prefer a more free-range lifestyle for their children, concepts like process art and “loose parts” are highly encouraged. Loose parts are items that can be used to inspire children to create in their own way.

“Musical play often means hitting items as hard as possible to see how they sound, and loose parts offer almost limitless opportunities to explore sounds that can be exuberant, random, noisy, and chaotic or quiet, gentle, and focused,” wrote author Mirian Beloglovsky, in her book Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children

Consider an open-ended approach to music by incorporating loose parts. Have your toddler make homemade instruments born from their imagination. You can set out masking tape pre-cut into strips of varying lengths. Provide paper towel tubes, shells, sticks, river stones, rubber bands, balloons, and anything else you have around the house. Let their imaginations run wild.

This is where caregivers can take a step back and let the toddler take the lead. Allow them to name their instrument and teach you how it’s played. Then, have your toddler put on a quick living room recital to demonstrate their instrument.

“My girls take every chance they can to perform for us, or anyone who will watch for that matter. So they loved the idea of creating their very own instruments and putting together a special music show,” mom-blogger Mariah Leeson wrote on her site, Giggles Galore.

Incorporating more music into your toddler’s daily life is not only a great way to pass the time, but music also encourages cognitive growth and development and enhances executive function and self-regulation.