Homemade instruments provide opportunities for preschoolers to enjoy creative play with music and movement. Dance, tap, shake and clap along with these simple musical instruments that are easy to make and fun to at home or in the classroom.

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These instruments are fun to make for a school project or to involve the family in music activities. The instruments are made with simple materials including everyday craft supplies, household items, and recycled packaging.

Instruments can help kids learn basic music terms and applications such as rhythm and beat, while also supporting fine motor and gross motor movements.

Related article: Benefits of Music and Movement

Homemade musical instruments

This roundup has you covered with lots of shakers as well as string, percussion, and wind options. A few printable activities have been included for more hands-on fun and learning with music.

Get ready to shake, rattle and roll with fun instruments you can easily make.

Shakers

This  paper plate tambourine from Team Cartwright can be decorated with stickers or markers.

A  rainbow tambourine  from Red Ted Art is perfect for a spring theme with preschoolers.

Create fun sounds with a noisemaker made with ribbon and bells from The Craft Train.

More bells mean more fun with a hand held music maker with bells  from Craft Bits.

A national holiday can be celebrated with us at Preschool Toolkit by making a noisemaker like this Canada day shaker with bells.

Explore the sounds of chapchas made by Crafty Moms Share.

Add recycled materials to the sensory bin to make instruments like this plastic containers sensory bin from Fun A Day.

Make music in the sensory bin with a musical egg sensory bin from Taming Little Monsters.

 Plain cardboard tubes become cardboard tube shakers with this craft from The Craft Train.

Plastic eggs turn into fancy egg shakers with these instructions from Mama Smiles.

One of my favorite instruments is these long rain sticks made by Gift of Curiosity.

These cylinder rain sticks by Danya Banya are another version of this popular instrument.

Get the music started with maracas. These egg maracas from Crayons and Cravings are a fun start.

Sixth Bloom explains how to make maracas with a tutorial.

Celebrate a special holiday with this maraca craft for Cinco de Mayo from Artsy Momma.

 At Preschool Toolkit we shake things up with shakers made from detergent bottle tops.

Recycle an everyday household item like Picklebums did to make cardboard tube music shakers.

Explore international culture with a Hawaiian musical shaker from Crafty Moms Share.

Percussion

Instruments made from natural materials offer unique sounds like seed pod percussion  found at Artsy Craftsy Mom.

X is for a xylophone activity at Crafty Moms Share.

Explore music notes will help from Preschool Toolkit by making a musical scale with mason jars .

Drum-diddy-drum with a snare drum from Spark and Pook.

Recycled materials can be used to make tin can drums like these from East Coast Mommy Blog.

Make a quick and easy instruments like these 5 minute drums from Red Ted Art.

Learn about a new instrument at Learning 4 Kids with a den den drum .

Add crashing cymbals to the band with this craft from Crafty Moms Share. 

This dinosaur castanet from Learn With Play at Home adds music to a dinosaur theme.

Recycle bottle tops to make these bottle top castanets from Red Ted Art.

Wind - String - Musical Activities

Wind

Practice the harmonica with this craft from Kitchen Table Classroom.

Make your own pan flute with instructions from Buggy and Buddy.

A flute from J Daniel 4's Mom s a fun instrument to use to make music.

The simple kazoo made by Buggy and Buddy never goes out of style.

String

Pluck the strings of this banjo with jar lids craft from The Craft Train. 

Strum along with this guitar craft found at Red Ted Art.

Explore the sounds made by a  homemade guitar with rubber bands from Laughing Kids Learn.

Printable activities

Play a music themed I Spy game with this I spy printable at And Next Comes L.

Move with the rhythm in a rhythm listening game from Let's Play Kids Music.

Instruments are fun to make with play dough with these play dough instrument cards you can print from Preschool Play and Learn.

 My Picks

Enjoy more musical fun with Music on Pinterest