We may not realise it but our world is constantly buzzing with sounds. Sounds you enjoy, you call music. Those you don’t, act like noise.
Either way, our world is incomplete without Sound. With so much to thank sounds for, why not engage in Hands-on Sound Activities for kids!
After all, it is one of our 5 senses! Brownie points for making your own musical instruments from the things like around the house. Such Sound activities for kids are highly rewarding as they:
- Enhance your child’s engineering and tinkering skills;
- Teach your little ones to problem solve and think critically;
- Increase concentration;
- Help them reason and make observations;
- Understand and learn like an engineer.
Besides the above brain benefits, these Sound activities for kids will also keep your children meaningfully engaged and bust boredom.
Sound Activities for Kids
1. Toilet Roll Rattle
This is the simplest DIY musical instruments and even children as little as 4 years can make it with little adult supervision.
Step 1: Take an empty toilet roll and colour/decorate it using colours and felt tip pens.
Step 2: Take two balloons and cut off their neck. Discard the neck. Stretch the remaining part over one end of the toilet roll. Secure it with a rubber band.
Step 3: Pour some dried beans into the toilet roll and seal the open end with the other balloon.
Shake it! Your Toilet Roll Musical Rattle is ready.
2. Chicken In a Cup
This is great Sound Activity for kids and a fave across all age groups. Somewhat similar to Cuica, a Brazilian Musical Instrument, it employs the same science to make sound.
3. Castanets
We love this one as it integrates arts with STEM. It is loved by children who are art fans and like making all things pretty.
What you need is old cardboard and some coins.
Step 1: Fold the cardboard along a straight line.
Step 2: Sketch your favourite picture, cartoon on the cardboard. You need two identical sketches. Cut them out.
Step 3: Using a double-sided tape, stick coins on the inside of the cardboard cutouts.
Step 4: Secure the cardboards at one end using stick tape.
Ta-da!! Your DIY castanets is ready.
4. Finger Piano
Inspire kids to learn music with some hands-on application of science, with this simple DIY Musical instrument.You need 5-6 bob pins, container lids and sticky tape.
Step 1: Pull the bobby pins apart so as to get a gap of 3-4” between the two ends.
Step 2: Take the container lid and stick the linear end of the bobby pins with the sticky tape.
Step 3: Strum the loose ends of the pins to hear one of a kind music.
You can adjust the distance between the respective pins to see how it influences the sound that the finger piano makes.
What a cool STEM activity for kids to learn the science of sound hands-on!
5. Balloon Amplifiers
Your kids would love this simple experiment with balloons and sound. Blow up a balloon and place it next to a speaker. Does it amplify sound?
Ask them, what they think would happen if they used a water balloon instead of air balloon. This will encourage critical thinking in your kids and aid them to come up with their own valid answer.
A must try for all the little scientists in the making.
6. Straw Flute
Another extremely simple Sound Activity for kids. Just take a used (we strongly advocate UN’s SDG Goals) plastic straw, cut a small diamond in the middle using scissors.
Use can fold the star at the middle and snip away a small triangle to get a diamond. Flatten one end using a ruler. Blow through the flattened end for hours of fun with your very own Straw Flute.
Such simple, easy science activities for kids encourage kids to experiment and learn from their experiences, thus leading to better learning outcomes and engagement.
7. Bottle Cap Tambourine
This one is well suited for older kids who are over with the kiddish, easy stuff and want to do something more hands-on, employing grown-up skills.
You will need a metal wire, chunky beads, pliers, push pin and plastic bottle caps.
Step 1: Use the push pin to punch holes in the center of the bottle caps.
Step 2: String the bottle caps and beads alternately in the metal wire.
Step 3: Cut-off the wire using pliers, leaving a generous length bare of caps and beads.
Step 4: Secure the ends together. DIY tambourine is ready!
8. Paper Whistle
Now, who would not like a DIY Paper Whistle! A great STEM Sound project to try, this is a big hit with older children as well as the younger ones.
While the older ones can try and make their own model, integrating their Math and Science skills, younger ones can explore the science with little adult help.
Step 1: Copy the outline of the DIY Paper whistle shared on a craft sheet. Cut it out.
Step 2: Fold it along the lines as shown in the picture and cut out a small triangle at the center long the longer line of symmetry.
Your DIY paper whistle is ready!
9. Buzzing Insect Toy
Your kids will absolutely love this. This Sound Activity for kids mimics the buzzing sound of insects.
What you will need:
- Big Popsicle Stick
- Double sided tape/ Foam tape
- Yarn
- Large elastic band
- Craft paper
- Office tape/Glue
- Scissors
How to Make it:
Step 1: Take the craft paper and cut it rectangular shape with the longer side 2” less than the length of the popsicle stick.
Step 2: Trim off the two corners from the longer side of the rectangle.
Step 3: Paste the craft sheet on the popsicle stick, leaving an inch off each side and covering half of its width.
Step 4: Tie the yarn on one side of the popsicle stick. Leave the other end of yarn free and long enough to swirl the popsicle stick away from your face.
Step 5: Secure double side tape on both the corners covering both sides of the corners. Remember to use only one side of the double sided tape.
Step 6: Stretch the elastic band over the double sided tape along the length of the stick. Make sure the elastic band is in the center of the popsicle stick.
Spin your buzzing Insect toy to hear the buzzing sound of insect’s wings.
10. DIY Wind Chimes
Who doesn’t like the sweet sound of wind chimes? This time, give it a twist and make your very own wind chimes.
You will need:
- Washers in various sizes;
- Yarn;
- Paints; and
- A sturdy wooden stick.
How to do it:
Step 1: Paint the washers in different colours and let them dry.
Step 2: Cut yarn into equal length according to the number of washers. String yarn through the washers.
Step 3: Tie the loose end of the yarn on the wooden stick.
Step 4: Take yarn and tie its end on each side of the stick. This is the loop to hang your wind chime.
Hang it in your porch for some beautiful music on breezy days.
