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Homemade Music Makers

These four instruments are easy to make and fun to play

Kids can turn everyday items into their own musical instruments. Use the materials below to make these four different kinds with your preschooler.

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	Hole punch

	Sturdy paper plates

	24 buttons

	Thin string, twine, strong thread or dental floss

	Seeds, rice, beans, or popcorn kernels

	Film canisters

	Duct tape (or other heavy-duty tape)

	Stickers

	Small wooden blocks

	Sandpaper

	Craft glue

	Paper-towel roll

	Waxed paper

	Rubber bands

	Colored markers

Tambourine
Using a hole punch, make six holes around the rim of a sturdy paper plate. Help your child string four or five large buttons onto a piece of thin string, twine, strong thread, or dental floss. Tie a knot in one end of the string to keep the buttons from slipping off and thread the other end of the string through one of the holes in the plate. Tie the two ends of the string together. Repeat until you have buttons attached to each of the holes. Your child can shake the paper plate or tap it with her palm to make the buttons rattle.

Maracas
Pour dried beans, seeds, rice, or popcorn kernels into film canisters and replace the lids. (Parents will want to do this part.) Tape the tops shut with duct tape and have your preschooler decorate the canisters with stickers. Shake! Try filling canisters with various amounts of seeds and then listening with your child to the different sounds they make.

Rhythm Blocks
Find two small wooden blocks. (Sanded wood scraps--scraps from woodworking projects--work well.) Cut a piece of sandpaper large enough to wrap around each block. Help your child glue the sandpaper to the wood. Allow the glue to dry for a couple of hours. When your preschooler scrapes the blocks together, they will make a rough scratching sound.

Kazoo
Show your child how to cover one end of a paper-towel roll with a 6-inch square of waxed paper and secure it with a rubber band. Cut the roll in half or into thirds to make more than one kazoo. (Toilet-paper rolls work, too.) Your child can decorate the roll with stickers and colored markers. To play, kids hum a tune into the open end.