Children are huge fans of music; and they are huge fans of arts and crafts. What if you could blend the two together? What if you could sit down with your child and create homemade musical instruments together? With this guide, you can! In fact, here are three musical instruments you could make with your child.
1. Coffee Can Drums
One of the easiest homemade musical instruments to create with your child is the coffee can drum. The coffee can drum can be as simple or as complicated of an arts and crafts project as you want it to be. The only essentials you absolutely need to make this instrument include duct tape and a coffee can. Your child just has to duct tape the lid to the coffee can. Then, you have a drum.
You can make this project more exciting by investing in items your child can use to decorate the drum. For example, you could get construction paper for your child to glue or tape to the drum. Then, you can get glitter glue or sequins to decorate the construction paper with.
Before you tape the lid to the drum, you also have the option of putting dry beans, pebbles, or some other small object inside of the drum. Once the drum is sealed shut with the duct tape, your child can either beat the drum or shake the drum to make different noises.
2. Kazoo
In order to make a kazoo with your child, you will need the following materials:
1.A Cardboard Tube (such as a paper towel roll or a toilet paper roll)
2.Wax Paper
3.Rubberbands
4.Sharp Object (for poking holes)
5.Art Supplies (to decorate the kazoo)
Once you've gathered the materials needed, you just need to follow four simple steps.
Step One: Cover one end of the cardboard tube with the wax paper. Use the rubberband to secure the wax paper to the tube.
Step Two: Use the sharp object to poke a hole in the side of the cardboard tube.
Step Three: Decorate the outside of your kazoo any way you see fit.
Step Four: Put your mouth up to the open end of the tube and say "do" or hum over and over again in order to create the kazoo noise.
3. Jingle Stick
In order to create a jingle stick you will need a pencil, some jingle bells (which can be purchased at just about any craft store), and a pipe cleaner. First, you need to place a jingle bell in the middle of the pipe cleaner and over the top of the pencil. Then, fold each side of the pipe cleaner down the sides of the pencil. You will slowly begin to wrap up the pencil with another pipe cleaner and string a jingle bell to the pipe cleaner that is hanging down the pencil periodically. When you are done, you and your child will be able to jingle all the way! Ideally, the pencil should have two or three down each side and an additional one on the top.
As you can see, making musical instruments from the comfort of your own home with your children can be both fun and easy.