By Age: Enjoy Music with Instrument Play! Plus DIY Instrument Ideas
Playing with instruments nurtures children’s ability to enjoy sound and to listen closely.
Above all, the experience of making music together will become a rich treasure for children.
This time, we’ll introduce instrument play activities by target age.
Choose ideas that fit your class and the children’s needs.
We also introduce several handmade instruments.
When children use instruments they’ve made themselves, they feel more attached to them and become more engaged in the activities.
Enjoy wonderful moments through instrument play.
- [Childcare] Enjoy handmade tambourines with the children
- For 2-year-olds! Fun craft activities and indoor play ideas
- [Childcare] Fun Rhythm Play! Recommended Games and Hand-Clapping/Hand-Play for Kids
- Handmade Instruments for Preschoolers | Instruments You Can Make Together with Your Child
- Toddler-approved fun! DIY toy ideas for 2-year-olds
- [For 0-year-olds] Fun indoor play ideas using raffia tape (suzuran tape)
- Let’s make it with 3-year-olds! Fun handmade toy ideas
- Age 4: Simple and Fun! Handmade Toy Ideas
- For 1-year-olds! Indoor play ideas that make rainy days fun
- Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!
- [For 5-Year-Olds] Recommended Indoor Play! A Collection of Exciting Games
- [Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Play ideas everyone can enjoy
- Cardboard Play Ideas by Age Group to Enhance Childcare
[By Age!] Enjoy Music with Instrument Play! Handmade Instrument Ideas Included (21–30)
A guitar that changes its sound

This is a handmade guitar toy you can play by plucking rubber band strings, where the sound changes.
First, make the guitar neck using a kitchen paper tube.
Cut slits in the tube and attach rubber bands, then hook the bendable part of a straw onto the strings.
Next, attach the rim of a paper cup between the straws, and press down on the rim’s surface to lower its position.
Apply glue to the bottom of the paper cup and attach it to the tube, then stick a paper plate on the opposite side to finish! Try making this fun toy where the sound changes depending on where you press the strings.
cardboard tambourine
@nobuhiro1139♪ Original Song – Nobuhiro – ⛩️ OjiKura ⛩️
Fun to make! Here are some ideas for making a tambourine out of cardboard.
You’ll need cardboard, a compass, a pencil, a plastic sheet, craft glue, plastic bottle caps, beads, and vinyl tape.
It’s great that cardboard and bottle caps are easy to prepare at home or in preschool! Using familiar materials may also help foster an appreciation for taking care of things.
Be sure to try making one together with your child.
Panda’s Tambourine
https://www.tiktok.com/@hoikushi_worker/video/7246644727976643847Cute instruments can lift the mood! Here’s a panda tambourine idea to try.
You’ll need a paper plate, a straw, scissors, masking tape, panda parts cut from construction paper, and glue or double-sided tape.
First, cut the straw with scissors.
Next, fold the paper plate in half, put the cut straw pieces inside, and seal it.
Finally, attach the panda parts made from construction paper—and you’re done! It’s a charming, creative idea that will capture children’s interest.
Give it a try!
Empty Can Tambourine
Let me share an idea for making tambourines out of empty cans and boxes.
What you’ll need: empty cans or boxes from snacks, double-sided tape or glue, parts made from construction paper, and decorative materials.
Have you ever thrown away a round cookie tin or an empty cheese box thinking it might be useful for something? Why not try making a tambourine that’s fun to create and delightful to play, together with your child! The step where you freely stick the parts together is exciting for both kids and adults.
Give it a try!
Handmade tambourine using 100-yen shop materials

Make it with a one-year-old! Here are ideas for handmade tambourines using materials you can get at a 100-yen shop.
What you’ll need: paper plates, washi tape, air-dry clay, disposable chopsticks, bells, and stickers.
Let’s create handmade instruments together with one-year-old children! The finished instruments can be tambourines or drums, and the charm is that each child can play freely.
It’s adorable to see children freely perform to music with their own original instruments, decorated by cheerfully sticking on stickers.
Gum-Gum Tambourine

Let’s customize a tambourine! Here are some ideas for a “Gomu-Gomu Tambourine” (a rubber-band tambourine).
You’ll need craft beads, twist rubber bands, scissors, an awl, and a 6-inch wooden tambourine.
A tambourine is typically played by hitting or shaking it to make sounds, but with a few custom touches, it can become even more fun for everyone—from kids to adults.
Don’t you wonder what kind of sound it will make when you play it with colorful beads and stretchy rubber bands? Give it a try and make your own!
straw tambourine

You can make one even without bells or cymbals! Here’s an idea for a tambourine made with straws.
What you’ll need: two paper plates, straws, scissors, tape, washi tape, pens, and illustrations.
How about making a tambourine with paper plates and straws and giving it a try? Since you can draw your favorite designs on the paper plates, it’s great to use pens to freely draw and customize it.
Cutting out and pasting illustrations is wonderful too! Give it a try!


