4 creative ways to make your own music at home

Newsflash: you don’t need to buy a musical instrument to make your own music. Why not look a little closer to home?

When it comes to making music, we’re passionate about utilising the tools around us and learning to make sounds in a fun, unstructured way. From making banging noises with pots and pans to stamping our feet to a beat, the possibilities are aplenty!  

Did you know a study by the University of Granada, Spain, found that musical improvisation can significantly help to foster creativity and act as a creative trigger in children between ages 8-11 years old?

If you’re not musical yourself, have no fear: we have just the musicians to help. Aiming to increase your child’s confidence by finding creative ways to make music at home, our creative nannies are fully vetted professional pianists, opera singers, guitar players and musical theatre performers who are all ready to inspire your little ones one session at a time.

Ready for some DIY music making? We’ve rounded up our top creative ways to make your own music at home with your little ones. Cue the beat!

1. Make a pots and pans drum kit

Let’s bang those drums (or in this case, your pots and pans!). Using wooden spoons, encourage your little one to play the pretend drums with pots, pans, plastic mixing bowls and wooden bowls. You could ask them to try and make soft sounds by gently tapping and loud bangs with hard hits – discovering the range of sounds they can make is very entertaining for little ones. Plus, it can teach them about rhythm, self-expression and hand-eye coordination.

2. Create a beautiful music shaker

It’s time to get crafty! Shakers are a great way to make music because when you shake, you make rhythm. So here’s how to make a child-friendly shaker at home. Recycle a plastic bottle by filling it with some dried rice, lentils or beans. Then, fasten the lid (you may want to tape the lid to the rest of the bottle if you have young children, to avoid the contents coming out) and make sure it’s secured tightly. Now, it’s time to decorate! Get your child to embellish their bottle with stickers, ribbons, a name label and violà – it’s time to shake, shake, shake.

3. It’s musical talent show time!

A mini talent show means showing off your vocal range, musical talents or getting creative with ways to make sounds. It can be lots of fun and it’s a great way to keep the kids entertained on a playdate. Here’s how to do it – create a stage area and makeshift seating for the audience, then encourage each child to stand up and put on a musical show, exhibiting their talents! This could be anything from shaking a maraca, reciting their favourite song or forming a band. It’s a standing ovation from us!

4. Let’s make music with our body

Heard of body percussion? Well, it’s about making sounds with your body or voice. Children love learning about how they can make music themselves – and doing it is simple really, from clapping their hands and singing a song to stamping their feet and clicking their fingers. The benefits? It creates an awareness of their body, helps develop their coordination and allows them to focus on a task. The best part – you don’t need any props when it comes to making your own music.