Handmade Instruments for Preschoolers | Instruments You Can Make Together with Your Child
When children make their own instruments to play rhythm games or perform to music, it fosters their sense of rhythm and pitch, as well as their imagination and expressive abilities, bringing very positive effects to their development.
So this time, we’re introducing handmade instrument ideas you can use in daycare, kindergarten, or at home.
From simple projects you can make with recycled materials or items from the dollar store to more advanced creations based on the principles of real instruments, we’ve gathered a wide range of DIY instrument ideas!
Find projects that match your child’s age and developmental stage, and try making them together.
We hope you’ll enjoy a fun time exploring the unique sounds that these handmade instruments can produce!
Handmade Musical Instruments for Preschoolers | Instruments to Make Together as Parent and Child (1–10)
Plastic bottle drum
If you want to develop your child’s sense of rhythm, I recommend this PET-bottle drum.
It’s a handmade instrument made with a plastic bottle and a balloon, and the way it’s put together actually makes a lot of sense.
Real percussion instruments like drums and congas also stretch skin over a resonating body.
That’s why the sound quality is far better than just hitting an object.
The tone changes depending on the size of the bottle and the thickness of the balloon’s rubber, so try making a variety of types.
Straw flute
A handmade instrument you can easily make with just a straw: the straw flute.
Although this instrument can be made simply with a large straw and cellophane tape, the work involves many small, detailed steps, making it more challenging than it looks.
Because you repeat fine motor tasks, it’s an ideal instrument for developing a child’s dexterity.
The materials are minimal and it’s easy to assemble, but since scissors are used extensively, be sure to teach children about scissor safety before letting them make it.
Tambourine made from bottle caps
A bottle-cap tambourine is an easy DIY instrument you can make with paper plates and plastic bottle caps.
The bottle cap portions work on the same principle as maracas, so the sound changes depending on what you put inside.
They’re also easy to make in quantity, so it’s a good idea to create tambourines with a variety of tones.
Also, choose paper plates that are as sturdy as possible.
Because the bottle cap sections are filled, they get heavier, and plates that are too flimsy will bend out of shape quickly.
Cardboard castanets
If you want to make a handmade instrument without spending money, these cardboard castanets are recommended.
This instrument is an easy DIY project made only from cardboard, plastic bottle caps, and a template.
The cardboard forms the body, and the bottle caps serve as the sound-producing parts.
Even without a template like in the video, you can make it easily as long as you carefully align the positions.
Be careful when cutting the cardboard with scissors, as applying too much force can lead to injuries.
Shaka-shaka maracas
Many handmade instruments require scissors or utility knives.
While these tools aren’t extremely dangerous, they are still blades, so many people may worry about letting children use them.
For those people, we recommend this handmade instrument: the Shaka-Shaka Maracas.
They can be made with very simple materials—just a plastic bottle and beads or marbles—so even children around two years old should find them easy to make.
Even if you tie a string to it as shown in the video, there’s no risk of injury if a guardian cuts the string in advance.
straw wrapper
The straw rattle is a homemade instrument you can make with construction paper, a straw, and a bubble wand straw.
You can’t change its tone, so I think it’s suitable for children around 3 years old.
Since scissors and a compass are used, an adult should supervise the making process, but the overall difficulty is relatively low, so it should be fun.
If the thickness of the straw and the bubble wand straw differ too much, it won’t work, so try to prepare straws that are reasonably similar in size.
Empty box drum
Among the handmade instruments we’re introducing this time, the simplest one is the Empty-Box Drum.
Basically, you’re just hitting scrap materials (lol).
But even with “scrap,” once you strike them, you’ll hear all kinds of tones.
Cans and bottles around the house, empty boxes, paper cups, plastic waste—pretty much anything can be turned into an instrument, and that’s the biggest appeal of this DIY approach.
It’s as simple as just hitting things, but as you can see in the video, when someone skilled plays it, it actually sounds like a decent instrument.