Looking for ideas free things to do with the kids that won’t cost anything? How about a forming a family orchestra or band?! And if you don’t have real instruments then gather together a few items from around the house and have fun with your children making these homemade musical instruments for kids, perfect for playing some music together!
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Practising a few simple tunes together can end up being a whole lot of fun. Why not record The Band’s first performance so everyone can enjoy watching it afterwards!
If you don’t have actual instruments in the house (but even a toy keyboard can be pressed into action here!) then here are some easy simple instruments you can make with things you’ll find around your home.
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Homemade Musical Instruments for Kids
#1. Paper Towel Trumpet
You Will Need:
- 1 paper towel tube
- Waxed paper or baking parchment
- A rubber band
- A pen
What to Do:
- Cover one end of the paper towel tube with waxed or parchment paper, secure it with a rubber band.
- Punch a row of holes along one side of the tube with the tip of the pen.
- To play, sing a tune into the open end of the horn.
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#2. Pot Cover Cymbals
You Will Need:
- 2 pot covers (if you can get matching sizes that’s ideal but don’t worry if you can’t)
- Ribbon (or string or yarn)
What to Do:
- Tie each end of a length of ribbon (string/yarn) around the handles of the two pot covers.
- Strike them together to “play your cymbals”.
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#3. Glass Jar Xylophone
You Will Need:
- 5-8 jars
- Water
- A spoon
What to Do:
-
- Fill the jars with different levels of water. Lower sounds will come from jars with more water in them, higher sounds from jars with less water in them.
- To play, gently strike the jars with your spoon. (Take care not to hit too hard!)
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#4. Coffee Tin Drum
You Will Need:
- Empty coffee (or other) tin with plastic lid
- 2 pencils
What to Do:
- Wash and dry out your empty tin.
- Beat the pencils on the lid of your tin to “play your drum”.
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#5. Buzzing Comb
You Will Need:
- A comb
- Some tissue paper
What to Do:
- Fold a piece of tissue paper over the tooth edge of the comb.
- Then hum through the tissue paper.
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#6. Shoebox Guitar
You Will Need:
- 1 empty shoe box
- Rubber bands
- Ruler or stick
What to Do:
- Take off the box lid and stretch the rubber bands around the box.
- Attach the ruler/stick to the back of the box at one end for the guitar arm.
- Strum or pluck the rubber bands to “play your guitar”.
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