20 DIY Musical Instruments for Kids to Make and Play
Bring the band alive at your home with these DIY Musical Instruments for Kids to Make and play! And they actually make music, too!
Did you know that babies can identify music before words? That’s probably the origin of lullabies and why we tend to speak to them in a sing-song voice! Nature has an answer for everything!
Turn everyday household and recycled materials into instruments children can actually shake, strum, tap and play! These easy DIY musical instruments for kids are perfect for preschool, elementary classrooms, homeschool music lessons, rainy days and creative school projects.
In this collection, you’ll find homemade drums, shakers, guitars, flutes, tambourines and more. Most use simple supplies such as cardboard tubes, paper plates, rubber bands, bottle caps and recycled containers. Children can explore rhythm, pitch, vibration and sound while enjoying a hands-on craft activity.
Best for: Preschool and elementary-age children
Skills: Listening, rhythm, creativity, fine-motor control and early science
Adult help: Recommended for cutting, sharp-edged containers, balloons, small bells and hot glue
Looking for more hands-on learning? Explore our craft ideas for kids, art activities for kids and science art projects for kids.
Why Make Homemade Musical Instruments with Kids?
Making and playing simple instruments gives children a playful introduction to music. They can compare loud and soft sounds, experiment with fast and slow rhythms, notice how different materials vibrate and discover that changing the size or tension of an object can change its sound.
This activity also encourages creativity, listening, coordination and confidence. Children do not need formal music lessons to begin exploring sound—they can start by making music with materials already available at home or in the classroom.
How Can Kids Make Musical Instruments at Home?
Start with safe household materials such as cardboard tubes, paper plates, clean containers, craft sticks, rubber bands, rice, lentils and bottle caps. Choose an instrument that suits the child’s age, supervise the tricky steps and then let children decorate and test their creation.
Safety note: Small bells, beans, bottle caps, balloons, bobby pins, sharp can edges and long cords can be hazardous. Adult preparation and close supervision are essential, especially for children under three.
20 DIY Musical Instruments for Kids + 1 Bonus Pretend Microphone
Count note: This collection includes 20 crafts that make or change sound, plus one pretend microphone for performances. Ages and completion times are practical estimates; check each linked tutorial and adapt the activity for your children.
Shaking Instruments
Shake these instruments to make loose fillings, shells or bells collide and create sound.
1. Cardboard Tube Rainstick
If you’ve got an unused cardboard roll tube lying around, you have got to make this simple craft! Mum in the Madhouse makes it look so easy, beans inside the tube – but it’s really the washi tape decoration that makes this one a winner!
2. Fringe Musical Anklets
Does jewelry count as a musical instrument? These fringe anklets from Giggles Galore sure do!! With pink felt, blingy sequins and little bells, this is every little girl’s dream! Just tie them on and dance away!
3. Nature-Inspired Percussion Instrument
We love using bits from nature to make crafts and this time we’ve used Gulmohar pods as a natural percussion instrument. It’s a lot of fun to paint on and decorate and you get a soothing, gentle sound out of it – just like Nature!
4. DIY Spoon Maracas
Have you seen those Latin American shows or movies where people gleefully shake maracas and sway their bodies? There’s something so fun about this instrument that you can’t help but move along! Maybe that’s why babies love rattles so much! Check out the instructions for this one from Oriental Trading.
5. Yarn-Wrapped Stick and Shell Rattle
When you’re out for a walk on the beach next time, be sure to pick up some driftwood and shells. You’ll thank me later, as you make this lovely musical instrument from Red Ted Art! Those shells bump against each other for a lovely sound reminding you of the harmony of the ocean.
6. Nature-Inspired Jingle Ring
This adorable nature-themed tambourine-like instrument is the perfect addition to a May Day celebration or even just a day outside. Easy to make, you can find the tutorial from Buggy and Buddy
String Instruments
Pluck or strum stretched rubber bands and compare how tension, length and thickness affect pitch.
7. Rubber-Band Shoebox Guitar
This isn’t one of those guitars that look great but do nothing else – this one actually works! Use rubber bands on the shoe box and go ahead strumming away to your own tune! Check out the full video tutorial at Real Simple.
8. Mini Lid Banjos
Here’s a super cute craft that’s just begging to be made! The Craft Train recycles jar lids into little banjos with craft stick handles and loom bands for strings. Decorate with washi tape and embellishments and you’re done!
Drums and Percussion
Tap, strike or pluck these instruments to explore steady beats, vibration, resonance and rhythm.
9. DIY Hand Drum
A hand drum is a simple way to introduce children to rhythm. Use a small round container or sturdy cardboard frame, cover both sides securely and add beads on short cords so they tap against the drum when it is twisted. Decorate it with paint, paper or washi tape.
10. Rainbow Paper Plate Tambourine
This colourful tambourine from Kids Craft Room sounds delightful and looks cheerful too! The painting is a good exercise in concentration and patience and the bells give it that lovely sound.
11. Recycled Wood Xylophone
Don’t throw away those strips and scraps of wood after a home project – you’ll need them for this xylophone from Borrowed Blessings! It’s amazing what some bright paint can do to trash. Use a sponge or felt-covered drumstick to keep the paint on for longer.
12. Bottle-Cap Castanets
These bottle top castanets are so fun – you can carry them around in your pocket and go clickety clack whenever you please! And the fact that they look like crocodiles only makes it better! Check out Red Ted Art to find out how to make these little instruments.
13. Tin-Can Balloon Drums
Ready for some larger drums? Then check out these cute ones from Mini Eco, designed to be perfect for toddlers! If you’re making a set, try out different materials besides balloon so that you get different sounds from each.
14. Bobby-Pin Thumb Piano
Yes, even bobby pins can create music, if you use them right! Thrifty Fun shows us how to use these pins on a wooden board to create your very own thumb piano. If you want to avoid the staple gun, you can use some really strong tape and stick the pins in place.
15. Mini Coconut-Shell Tabla
Punekar Sneha has a genius idea of converting coconut shells into mini tablas – a popular Indian drum. They look so cute, they’d be perfect for Diwali crafts and activities! Don’t forget to take out the flesh first!
16. Paper-Cup Damru
A damaru is a small two-headed drum, used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. In Hinduism, the damru is known as the instrument of the deity Shiva. See how to make musical instruments with recycled materials
Wind Instruments
Blow or hum through these instruments to investigate moving air, vibrating membranes and changing pitch.
17. DIY Straw Pan Flute
Ever fancied playing a pan flute? Well, you can make one yourself now!! Cultura Creas has a lovely pan flute DIY, complete with feathers and all! Translate the page for English instructions, and let the kids experiment with straws of different materials to see how the sounds turn out.
18. Colourful Cardboard-Tube Kazoo
Do you remember playing with Kazoos as a kid? Well, let’s relive those memories with our own kids with a bunch of homemade kazoos – in multicolor! ID Kids has the tutorial to make these – all you need are toilet rolls and tissue paper and a bunch of usual craft supplies you likely already have.
19. Craft-Stick Harmonica
Sticks, toothpicks and rubber bands – very mundane household items that come together to create some beautiful melodies! Yes, music will happen when you make this harmonica craft from She Knows. Don’t forget to paint it in pretty colors of your choice!
20. Cardboard-Tube Trumpet
You might think it’s impossible to make a trumpet at home, but Tea Time Monkeys proves otherwise! The ever versatile cardboard tube roll comes to the fore again, and combines with craft paper to create a simple trumpet that’s sure to delight the younger lot!
Bonus Performance Accessory
This pretend microphone is included as a bonus because it encourages singing, speaking and performance, but it does not make or amplify sound by itself.
Bonus. DIY Pretend Microphone
Yes, your child’s voice is also music, and a cool microphone will give her the confidence to let it out with vigor! I Heart Arts and Crafts has a tutorial for a super cute and extremely easy to make microphone that can be customized to your heart’s liking.
Turn This Craft Into a Music and Science Lesson
After children build an instrument, ask them to predict what will happen, play or test it, and then change one thing at a time. They can describe or draw what they notice in a simple sound-science journal.
Questions to Investigate
- Vibration: Which part of the instrument is vibrating? What happens to the sound when you gently touch that part and stop the vibration?
- Pitch: Which design makes a higher or lower sound? What changes when a rubber band, tube, bar or vibrating part is shorter, longer, tighter or looser?
- Volume: How can you make the sound louder or softer without changing the instrument? Does tapping, shaking, plucking or blowing with more force change the volume?
- Materials: How do paper, cardboard, wood, metal, plastic, shells or different fillings change the sound? Which material creates the clearest, softest or longest-lasting sound?
Class challenge: Build two versions of one instrument. Change only one material or measurement, test both in the same way and explain why their sounds are different.
More Creative Learning Activities for Kids
- Science art projects for kids
- Math art activities for kids
- Recycled crafts for kids
- Craft ideas for kids
- Art activities for kids
- Paper-cup damru and trishul craft
- Diwali crafts and activities
Find Related Printables
Pair this hands-on music activity with an easy printable, matching game or fine-motor resource from the ArtsyCraftsyMom shop.
Search music printables ·
Search musical-instrument activities ·
Browse the printable shop
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest musical instrument for a child to make?
A sealed shaker filled with rice or lentils is one of the easiest choices. Paper plate tambourines, craft-stick harmonicas and rubber-band shoebox guitars are also simple options.
What can children learn from homemade musical instruments?
Children can explore rhythm, pitch, vibration, volume and cause and effect. Decorating and assembling the instruments can also support creativity, coordination and fine-motor skills.
Which recycled materials can be used to make instruments?
Clean cardboard tubes, shoeboxes, jar lids, bottle caps, paper cups, tins with safely finished edges and sturdy food containers can all be reused. Always check materials carefully and supervise children.
These homemade instruments are fun to build, but the best part begins after the glue dries. Let children form a family band, invent a rhythm or perform a short concert—and enjoy the joyful noise!
Responses