From Stephanie Brown,
Your Guide to Babies & Toddlers.
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Making music can be fun. For your youngest children, you'll find that they often make their own instruments out of pots and pans, lids, sticks and whatever you have handy. If you want to get a bit more sophisticated without buying pricey equipments, here are a few items to make at home that will get you started.

Bean Shakers

What You Need:

Soda Bottle (small, medium or large -- it's up to you)

Dried peas, beans or lentils

Superglue

Directions:

Clean out the bottle and allow to dry thoroughly.

Fill the bottle about 1/8 to 1/4 full with the peas, beans or lentils.

Place superglue around the threads of the bottle opening and quickly tighten the lid and allow the glue to dry before playing with the shaker.

Cork Drumsticks

What You Need:

2 pieces of cylindrical cork, about 1 1/2 inches long

2 wooden or bamboo chop sticks

Glue

Directions:

With a sharp pencil, start a hole in the center of one side of each cork.

Finish the hole with one of the chop sticks.

Fill the hole with a small amount of glue and insert the chop sticks, allowing to dry before use.

Comb Harmonica

What You Need:

A clean comb

Thin paper

Directions:

Wrap the paper around the teeth of the comb.

Place the comb against lips and hum to play.

Drum

What You Need:

Cylindrical oatmeal container or Pringles container

Rubberbands or duct tape

Fabric (faux or real leather, vinyl -- experiment with different types for different sounds)

Directions:

Remove the container lid and discard.

Cut the fabric large enough to fit over the container and overlap the edges by 1 1/2 inches.

Cover the container and secure the fabric tightly by using many rubberbands or the duct tape.

Kazoo

What You Need:

Waxed Paper

Paper towel tube

Rubberbands

Directions:

Cut the waxed paper to fit over one end of the paper towel tube.

Secure the paper with several rubberbands.

Poke a few holes in the waxed paper.

Hum into the unpapered end to make music.

When you think your budding musician is ready for other instruments, there are many rhythm instruments here that are very inexpensively priced.