Music can help in the development of children’s language, cognitive, and emotional skills. Learning to play a musical instrument can also improve motor coordination as well as concentration and memory abilities.
Creating homemade musical instruments for kids can be a fun and creative way to teach children about the importance of sustainability and recycling! It can help them understand the environmental impact their actions have on the world and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling materials.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have musical instruments at home. With a little creativity and some recyclable materials, you can create fun instruments that can be used in music lessons, at home, or even in school performances!
Below you will find instructions to make some homemade musical instruments for kids with recyclable materials. You can also download the Kinedu app to watch the step-by-step video tutorials. Check it out!
7 Homemade Musical Instruments for Kids Made with Recyclable Materials
1. Tin Can Drum
Materials:
- Aluminum can or plastic bucket
- Adhesive tape
- Paint and brush
- Decorative fabric or paper
- Barbecue sticks
How to make:
- Paint the base and the bucket or can with your favorite color.
- Decorate with fabric or decorative paper.
- Use the barbecue sticks as drumsticks. You can use some string and tape to attach them to the can so they won’t get lost!
2. Party Plate Tambourine
Materials:
- Cardboard or plastic plate
- Hole puncher
- Bells
- Ribbons or string
How to make:
- Punch four holes in the party plate.
- Use the string to tie one or more bells to each hole.
- You can also use the ribbons for decoration.
3. Potato Chip Package Rainstick
Materials:
- Tubular potato chip packaging
- Beads or seeds
- Decorative or recycled paper and crayons
How to make:
- Put beads or seeds inside the potato chip packaging.
- Close the tube and tape the lid so the seeds or beads remain sealed inside.
- Decorate the tube with paper or fabric! You can also make drawings on recycled paper and use that as decoration to cover the tube.
4. Bottle Cap Castanets
Materials:
- Sturdy strip or piece of plastic
- Two bottle caps
- Glue
How to make:
- Glue the bottle caps to the ends of the plastic strip.
- Fold the plastic piece so that one cap can be struck against the other.
5. Rattle made from Various Containers
Materials:
- Empty containers (such as plastic bottles, tubes, jars, etc.)
- Beads or seeds
- Decorative fabric or paper
How to make:
- Put beads or seeds inside the chosen container.
- Close the container.
- Cover the container with fabric or decorative paper.
- Tip: If you want to make more than one rattle, try diversifying the content added to the container. For example, you can make one rattle with rice and another with beans. This way, you’ll have rattles with different sounds!
6. Deodorant Cap “Coconut”
Materials:
- Two plastic deodorant caps
How to make:
- The instrument is ready to be used: just strike one cap against the other!
7. Ocean Drum with Cake Packaging
Materials:
- Tall, disposable cake packaging
- Cutouts or drawings of marine animals
- Glue
- Beads
How to make:
- Glue the marine animals to the cake plate.
- Put beads on the cake plate.
- Apply glue to the edges of the plate and close the packaging tightly.
These homemade musical instruments for kids are quite easy to make and can be used to sing and play with your child, or even give them music lessons! It’s a great opportunity for you to have fun together and learn more about music, while also using your creativity and teaching your little one about recycling.
In the Kinedu app, you can join live music classes for babies and children, where you will learn how to make more instruments like these, and how to use them to play with your little one and help develop their hearing, rhythm, and coordination. Download the app here. We’ll see you in class!
Andressa Chinzarian is a musician with 20 years of teaching experience. She studied piano and lyrical singing in Brazil. She performs as a lyrical singer in operas, chamber music, and recitals. She has starred in several operas in Brazil and Italy.
