Toddlers are noise makers no matter the time or place. Redirecting that energy is an on-going task for every parent. Now that their bodies are able to do multiple skills all at the same time, a musician or should it be said a sound-noise maker may show up at any moment. Besides their voice, making musical sounds may be produced using household items or homemade DIY projects, toys or real instruments. Frequently a toddler is replicating sounds/actions of a musical instrument that they’ve seen or heard. (Shall we say TRYING their best.) Sometimes there’s an exploration taking place—what sounds do these two things banged together make or when this key is pushed what sounds will be heard. They are truly exploring sound making. Their senses have come alive with music!
Discovering their creative musical powers wakes the brain. It’s learning through trial and error how to make a range of sounds—loud to soft with differing degrees in between or high to low pitches. Their brain is stimulated, leading to enhanced auditory processing, strengthening of decision-making, while building small & large motor skills through their continued movement and coordination. Memory pathways are firing up as patterns are repeated and neuron connections are developing. All this action takes place as ones’ toddler experiments with sound making during musical time.
Real Instruments
Real musical instruments come in different shapes and sizes. Some of the materials used to build an instrument are as follows: metals (bronze, tin, steel, copper, brass), woods, bamboo, and even bones or shells. They may be handmade or factory-made. Price varies due to age, use, craftmanship and/or brand of the instruments. Here are the six main categories that most musical instruments fall into.
Main Categories of Musical Instruments –with a few examples:
(The first four are commonly found in a symphony orchestra.)
Bowed String: violin, cello—played with a bow over strings
Brass: trumpet, trombone, tuba–long tube & made of brass with a mouthpiece to blow
into (no reed) while fingers work the valves
Percussion: drums, cymbals, maracas, xylophones, triangle, tambourine—played by shaking,
hitting instrument with ones’ hands or sticks (wooden/metal)
Woodwind: flute, clarinet, recorder, saxophone—played by blowing into a mouthpiece
while fingers work the key holes (reeds are used in the mouthpieces of some of these instruments)
Guitar Family: guitars—played with fingers/finger-nails strumming or plucking the strings (over 20 different kinds)
Keyboard: piano, organ,—played with fingers and hands pressing on keys/keyboard plus feet pump petals
Toddlers may be introduced to actual musical instruments in the home or by other family members. Sharing ones’ musical skills with a child is rewarding and promotes their understanding of what music making is all about. Perfect time to have music talks about kinds of sounds that can be produced and how it’s done. Revealing the mystery of musical instruments to a toddler is a massive learning experience. Plus, the shared discovery time causes a release of chemicals in their brain that enhances emotional connections and trust.
Parents will need to decide if and when a child has the skills to start learning more about a specific instrument. These practice lessons may be with a parent or a music teacher. Usually waiting until a child is older will produce a more successful learning experience using a direct instructional approach on how to play an instrument. It really does depend on the child’s readiness, “want” to learn and their capabilities. Can they hold the weight and/or work the preferred instrument (strength, coordination, fine motor skills)?— How long is their attention span? Are they able to follow multi-stepped directions? Will they be able to practice the required amount of time? Consequently, a toddlers’ main goal is exploring sound making. True there are talented young children who amaze everyone with how skilled they are in playing a musical instrument at a very early age—they seem to be the exception not the rule.
Musical training for older children above age five does have numerous benefits. Professor Brian Wesolowski and Professor Stephanie Wind of University of Alabama studied a group of children aged 7-17 who were taking private music lessons. They “found that students participating in supplemental music lessons enjoy a variety of positive effects and healthy habits – including self-imposed limitation of screen time; increased problem-solving skills, time management and prioritization; increased self-awareness and social skills, and more.” Yes, learning how to play a musical instrument is an art. However, the process of learning how to read music, understand how to play a musical instrument and work with others throughout multiple years does challenge and strengthen the thinking brain.
Toy Musical Instruments
Toy musical instruments are another way to introduce sound making to a toddler. Many companies have designed well-built toys that produce musical sounds. Some popular toy items for young toddlers are small pianos, xylophone, drums, shakers and musical activity boards. There are a tremendous assortment of toys for parents to choose from in the shopping world.
Sometimes a toy swap between families is an easy way to acquire a new sound maker. “Out with the old and in with the new”, recycling at its best. Other places to find factory-made toys at a bargain price maybe at a garage sale or thrift store.
Age appropriateness and safety are two key considerations when selecting musical toys. (Check for sharp edges and small pieces that could pop off, be picked up and swallowed.) Some factory-made toy instruments are inexpensive but seem not to have a long shelf life due to continual toddler usage.
Homemade Musical Sound Producers (Made with regular items found in the home.)
There are two main types of homemade sound producers: household items & DIY (Do It Yourself) projects:
Household Items…
Presto, kitchen ware becomes a drum set! Find some kitchen pots/pans to use as the drums. Place them on the floor and flip them over add drumming sticks—wooden or plastic utensils. Tin cans, plastic buckets/tubs/bowls may be added to expand their homemade drum set. Slider-Use an empty water bottle that has ridges on the outside and a wooden spoon. To play it, slide the spoon up and down over the ridges to make sounds.
DIY Projects…
There are a variety of musical instruments that can be done as a craftivity, a DIY project. Many of these can become a shared experience, including the toddler as ones’ assistant. They love to be part of the process. Talk with them as it’s being made, explain the steps that are to be done. Some DIY projects offer opportunities for them to add their decorating talents (painting/coloring etc.). Enjoy the joint effort and let the DIY (Do It Yourself) experience out!
Here are a few ideas on different ways to create sound makers for the musical explorer:
Making Musical Instruments with Household Objects:
Percussion-Shakers
SHAKERS Use different items inside containers to produce a variety of sounds: rice, beans, popcorn kernels, pasta, pennies etc. Below are some examples:
Plastic eggs–
Suggestions: Begin Auditory Match Game
1 Fill two eggs with same items from list above
The sounds can be color coded two blue eggs=rice etc.
2 Harder—(before using) switch out items in the eggs —What sounds the same? (color of eggs will not be supportive)
Follow-up by Including the egg shakers as part of their sound choices
**Be sure to tape shut after filling OR a big surprise will be had by all! Oops!
Plastic jars or water bottles—(other plastic containers work too)
Fill containers with small items mentioned above
Tape/glue top opening to cover and secure it. If one does not want to let
the child view what’s inside—cover outside with contact paper or
paper bag paper etc.—glue on sides of the jar or paint it.
Paper Towel Holder Empty Roll
Make 2 cardboard circles to attach to each end OR put foil on ends secured by rubber bands
1 Attach one cut piece of cardboard/foil to the bottom (tape/glue etc.)
2 Fill with items NOT completely full –just enough to make the sound. Also consider the weight—too much could cause breakage
3 Attach a top piece
**The paper towel roll may be decorated with stickers or colored before filling–add streamers on the ends once finished.
Be sure to continually TEST the shakers for leakage!
Making Musical Instruments with Household Objects:
Percussion-Drums
DRUMS Producing sound by hitting with hand or sticks
Tin Can Drums (various sizes)
*Remove label —Peel away label on empty can – remove lids from top and bottom
*Decorate —Paint or add other items for color—use tape or ribbon trim etc.
Or measure a piece of paper to wrap around can. Let toddler color/paint an original design on the paper.
*Attach drawing to the middle of can.
*Cut a balloon—Cut a balloon that hasn’t been blown up into two pieces—save the top of balloon
Size of balloon depends on size of can, but 18-20 inch might work best—as it will be stretched over the top of the can)
*Top of Drum–Attach the balloon to the top by stretching & pulling it over the open lid (add glue or rubber band to secure it
*Play it by using hands or sticks (unsharpened pencils may work as sticks)
Safety–Be sure to continually check any items used for making music on regular basis.
NOTE: The Resources and References section below has links to videos showing numerous DIY projects.
Once there is a collection of sound makers to use at music time, storage may become a challenge. One can provide a “music box” for safe keeping. A plastic container or a cardboard box may serve for storing these musical items. This music box could be placed on a low shelf located in the kitchen for easy access.
Remember regardless of the sound maker being used at music time, modeling the safe way to play each one leads to successful musical explorations. However, at times a toddler may surprise the listener by combining or designing a unique way to play some instrument to make a new sound. Super!
That’s part of the musical process too. Creative freedom to express themselves is welcomed, as long as their exploration is being done in a safe manner. Sometimes one can introduce a new musical instrument (toy or homemade) to a toddler without specific directions, offering a new challenge – figuring out how it works. Watch them to see how their brain accepts this task, if after multiple tries frustration arises– provide hints, positive encouragement and additional modeling as needed. Acknowledging a toddler’s attempts when using the trial and error method assists in strengthening their discovery skills of cause-effect and problem-solving. The goal is to have a successful outcome—but that does not equal upset. Providing opportunities for a toddler to try out their reasoning skills is important within a supportive and positive learning environment.
A play list of favorite tunes ready and available to accompany their musical desires will add to their solo “musical sounds”. For toddlers making sounds during the playing of their favorite tunes can be stimulating and a huge learning event.
Music time can be a regularly scheduled time and/or whenever the timing is right. Family members can join together using a mixture of real, toy and/or homemade musical instruments to create a family band. Music of all sorts brings enjoyment to all!
Toddlers are always ready to rock and roll about, do their moves and play their musical sounds. Select a music time or as the mood strikes you or them—go for it. Let the music flow and their creative talents shine. Do enjoy sharing music time together!
Happy days to you,
Kylene
“Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, involve me, I understand.”
carl orff, composer & music educator
Resources & References
Collins, Anita, De., (2020), The MUSIC Advantage, How learning music helps your child’s brain and wellbeing, Allen & Unwin Publisher
Easy Play Ideas for Kids, (2024), How to Make your Own Musical Instruments using Recycled Materials, https://youtu.be/Hp4JoYHhsM4?si=FUz6IunJTS3q1d2n
Mini Tunes Club, (2024), How To Make Drums – 3 EASY DIY Instruments For Kids, https://youtu.be/oFjihkYvWSw?si=Q5Jp-0tQak1j7fey
Francis, Shanthwani, Dr., (2023), Role of Music in Cognitive Development of a Child, Neurological Health, https://www.icliniq.com/articles/neurological-health/role-of-music-in-cognitive-development-of-a-child
NAXOS, The World of Classical Music, https://www.naxos.com/musicalinstruments
Wesolowski, Brian, Wind, Stephanie, Children Who Participate in Music Lessons Are Better Able to Problem Solve and Manage Their Time, Study at University of Alabama, https://online.uga.edu/news/children-who-participate-music-lessons-are-better-able-problem-solve-manage-their-time/