Making Musical Instruments with your Children

Music doesn't have to have a tune, it doesn't have to be written down or perfectly played, it doesn't have to be a song and it doesn't have to sound good to be enjoyed, to children making music is about the noise and the different noises that different things make.

Making musical instruments with your children is great fun and it is also a learning experience for yourself as well as your children.

Musical instruments can be made from anything you find around your home from banging a wooden spoon on a sauce pan, to blowing into an empty bottle, you and your children can have a great time experimenting the different sounds that different household items make.

A Bottle

An empty glass or plastic bottle or both are excellent for use as a musical instrument, but before you start, you should check for any damage to the bottle, small cracks or chips can be dangerous, the bottle could break or you or your child could get a nasty cut.

When checked then you just blow over the top of the bottle and the sound is made, try it with the glass bottle and then try it with the plastic bottle then you can talk about the different sounds that the bottles make. You could then put some water in the bottle and see if it sounds any different.

A Hair Comb and Paper

Wrap a piece of thin paper around a hair comb, and put it to your lips and Hum, the sound is very funny to children and it sounds a bit like a Kazoo, this was one of my favourites when I was a child and I still get a kick from it today.

Glass of Water and Pencil

A drinking glass with some water in it hit with a pencil makes a great sound.

Experiment with your child with different amounts of water in the glass to hear the different tones and sounds.

Again inspect the glass for chips and cracks before you begin.

An Empty Chrystal glass

Hugh Heffner is an expert at playing glasses, wet the tip of your finger and run it around the rim of the glass, I love the tones that Chrystal makes, again experiment by adding different amounts of water.

Remember to inspect the glass for safety.

Plastic Bottle Maracas

Take A plastic bottle and add some rice, put the top back on the bottle and there you have it a shaker, do it with 2 bottles and you have a set of maracas.

Shake the bottles for a great percussion instrument.

A Piece of Paper

You know that if you put a piece of grass between your thumbs and blow hard it makes a great squeaking noise, the same applies if you do it with a piece of paper, just ensure that the paper is held tight.

Music can be made with anything your home just use a little imagination and you and your children can have hours and hours of fun and learning at the same time.

Safety is important, do not use electrical equipment or bash the TV to pieces

Just to hear the sound, and never use water near electrical items.