Musical Instruments Preschool Theme Crafts

Written by Nicole Dean

by Aunt B

Copyright 2004-2006 Story Soup Kids, a division of Enchanted Corner

Kids Musical Instruments Crafts

Homemade Finger Cymbals

2 baby food jar lids
(or any small lids)
¼ or ½ inch wide elastic
Nail
Hammer

Cut two 4 inch pieces of elastic. With an adult’s help, use the hammer and nail to punch a hole in the center of each baby food jar lid, or your small lid. Push both ends of a piece of elastic through each hole. Tie the ends of the elastic into a knot. Now you can slip your finger cymbals onto your thumb and pointer finger and make music.

Homemade Harmonica – Flute

Toilet Paper Roll
Wax Paper
Rubber Band
Pencil
Crayons or Markers

First color your paper roll to decorate as you wish. Next poke 3 or 4 holes in the roll with your pencil. Cut a 4 inch square of wax paper. Secure the wax paper over the end of the paper roll with a rubber band. Hum away in your new harmonica flute.

Musical Rainsticks

Paper towel tube or other long cardboard tube
Aluminum foil
Small dried beans, un-popped popcorn, dry rice..
Brown paper or construction paper
Glue
Scissors
**Crayons or markers

Trace around the end of your tube onto a piece of brown paper. Draw a bigger circle around that circle and then draw a lot of lines between the two circles. Cut along those lines, not to cut the center circle. This will leave you with tabs. (Make two of these tabbed circles) Put glue on the tabs and glue the cap onto on end of your tube. Cut a piece of aluminum foil that is about 1 ½ times the length of your tube and about 6 inches wide. Crunch the aluminum foil into two long, thin, snake-like shapes and twist each one into a spring type shape, keeping the foil as long as the tube. Put the foil into the tube along with your dried beans, rice or un-popped popcorn, this amount should be about 1/10 full. Glue on the tabbed circle to the opposite end of the tube. Once secure you can turn your rainstick upside down and enjoy the sound of the rain.

** Optional ** Decorate your Rainstick with your crayons or markers.

Shakers, Shakers and More Shakers
Bottle Shakers

Soda Bottle (16 to 24 oz)
Rice, Dried Beans or Un-popped Popcorn
Super Glue
Tape

Fill your bottle about ¼ or ½ full which ever you like with your dried items. Then super glue your lid closed and tape over to be double sure it will not come off.

** Optional** Add string and ribbon to make look pretty inside bottle.

Pie Pan Shaker

2 Pie Pans
Rice, Dried Beans or Un-popped Popcorn
Masking Tape

Place about ¼ cup of your dried items in to one pan. Lay the other pan on top and tape edges. ** This is a LOUD shaker**

Paper Plate Shaker

2 Paper Plates
Rice, Dried Beans or Un-popped Popcorn
Masking Tape

Place a few of your dried items on your bottom plate lay the other plate on top and tape the edges to create a shaker.

Film Canister Shakers

Film Canisters
Rice, Dried Beans or Un-popped Popcorn
Tape or Glue

Fill film canisters with the dried item of your choice place top on and tape over to insure items do not come out.

**These shakers are great for small hands. They are also good for filling with different items to see how they sound different**

Recommended Books to Read about Music

Philadelphia Chickens
by Sandra Boynton
What an event! What a show! It’s catchy and quirky. Tuneful and toe-tapping. Exuberant, unexpected, and utterly endearing. It’s what happens when you take America’s beloved illustrator and children’s author and combine her buoyant genius with some of the most talented people on the stage–presenting Philadelphia Chickens!

Carnival of the Animals: By Saint-Saens (Classical Music for Kids)
By Saint-Saens
The animals are having a carnival, and the guests are arriving. There’s the majestic lion, the braying mules, the dancing elephant, and the bouncy kangaroos. Even the fossils join in with a fast and rattly dance. Everyone is invited!

Baby Beluga (Raffi. Raffi Songs to Read.)
By Raffi.
The song about this small white whale has as its hero
the best loved of Raffi’s creations. Children will get a first, cheerful lesson
about the natural world by becoming acquainted with enchanting Baby Beluga. The
illustrations are a joy, and the song’s rhythm and rhyme make it easy to
remember and sing.

Tags: