Make your own instruments!
Rockstar Microphone(Ages 3-8)
No band would be complete without a lead singer, and no lead singer is complete without their giant microphone. Break out the cardboard and the aluminum foil, and watch your child transform into Adele right before your eyes!
Duct Tape Drums(Ages 3-5)
Who needs a $10,000 drum set when you've got tupperware, tin cans, and duct tape? With just a little bit of prep, you can craft a practice kit to teach your baby John Bonham the basics of rhythm without waking the neighbors!
Make a Didgeridoo(Ages 3-8)
Use a mailing tube and some acrylic paints to create these beautiful didgeridoos from Australia.
DIY Guitar(Ages 3-8)
Somewhere in your house, there's an old shoebox (or cardboard KiwiCo crate) that dreams of being recycled into a state-of-the-art rubber band guitar. Luckily, you know a young musician in need of a new guitar to practice their solos on. All it takes is thirty minutes to make both their dreams come true!
Music and Rhythm(Ages 3+)
Explore the magic of music and rhythm with 3 engaging activities and a bonus magazine. Make a xylophone and write your own music. Play some jingles on your own koala-shaped tambourine. Decorate your dancing streamer with colorful dots for movement fun. This little musician's kit is perfect for curious little ones.
Salt Shaker Noise Maker(Ages 3-6)
Kids love playing, making, and dancing to music — and now they can make their own salt shaker noise maker. Shake, shake, shake! What kind of music can you make?
Tambourine(Ages 3-8)
No family jam session could be complete without a tambourine! Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Pie Tin Cymbals(Ages 3-8)
These pie tin cymbals are easy-to-make, fun for kids of all ages, and a great way to add some dramatic flair to your next family jam session!
Easter Egg Maracas(Ages 5-11)
These easy-to-make maracas look like papier mache – but without all the mess.
Finger Cymbals(Ages 3-8)
This crafty little musical project, made out of everyday recycled items, is sure to have your little ones dancing.
Ukulele(Ages 14+)
Make some music (and some engineering memories) with a four-string ukulele you build yourself! Explore the science of vibration and sound waves, and discover what makes wood the perfect material for your uke. Then learn to tune your instrument and crank out some classic songs. Ready to get movin' and groovin' with science?
Add to your growing collection of instruments with this easy-to-make kazoo!
Coffee Can Drums(Ages 3-8)
With just a few everyday materials, turn your recycled coffee cans into music!
Homemade Bell(Ages 3-8)
If you've got the fever, then the only prescription is this DIY hand bell. Make one to entertain your youngest band member, or make a whole set to fill out your rhythm section!
Spin Drum(Ages 3-8)
These DIY spin drums are easy to craft, fun to decorate, and even more fun for kids to spin back-and-forth endlessly for hours!
Straw Flute(Ages 3-8)
This simple straw flute can be made in less than 30 minutes, and makes a great beginner instrument for the youngest member of your family band.
Learn about the science of sound with these projects!
Wave Machine(Ages 5-16)
We’re surrounded by waves! Sound and light travel as waves to our ears and eyes. Ocean waves crash onto the beach. Radio waves broadcast music to our cars. We even use waves to cook our food - in microwaves! Try making this wave machine to see how all different kinds of waves move.
Stereo Headphones(Ages 14+)
Tune in to technology — with a pair of stereo headphones you engineer yourself! Build the headphone headband, rig up the speaker drivers, and experiment with stereo sound. Explore how speakers and other electroacoustic transducers turn electricity into sound, then learn about the historical technologies that made modern headsets possible.
Dancing Sprinkles(Ages 9-11)
Ever wondered if you can see sound? Well, in this experiment, you’ll turn music into motion.
Rainbow Ball Run(Ages 1+)
Sharpen your little one’s looking and listening skills with this colorful ball run, complete with a set of towers that make a musical plink-plunk sound as the ball bounces along. Challenge your baby to find new ways to play — from using an extra ball to moving the towers around to change their shape and rhythm. All the while, your little one will be practicing auditory processing, fine motor skills, visual tracking, and more!
DIY Phone Speaker(Ages 5-16)
Make a rockin' customizable speaker for you and your friends to enjoy with just a few household items! Understand how sound vibrations can travel through different mediums and how the shape of the mediums can cause the sounds to be amplified!
Light-Up Speaker(Ages 12+)
Explore the science of sound by building an amplification circuit to power your own personal speaker. With this kit, build and customize your speaker with a glowing LED, and learn about transistors and electromagnetism through the included instruction set.
Recommended for ages 12+.
Dancing Salt(Ages 9-16)
Discover how music creates vibrations you can see using salt and a portable speaker! Then try experimenting with different genres of music to see which ones make the salt dance more.
20+ Musical Instrument DIYs & Sound Experiments To Try At Home
Think your little rockstars have what it takes to be the next Hanson? Then it's time to get that family band started! But why run out and buy a top-of-the-line Gibson steel-string, when you can make one at home out of cardboard, string, and toilet paper rolls? Just like the pros do! We've assembled a list of DIY musical instruments to kit out your home orchestra with drums, guitars, tambourines, kazoos, bells, and even a didgeridoo.