Percussion Instruments Basket

What you'll need

• A small hand drum or an upside-down pot with a wooden spoon
• Homemade shakers (sealed jars with rice or beans)
• Two wooden claves or short dowels
• A tambourine or a paper plate with jingle bells taped on
• A metal triangle or a spoon and metal cup

How to make it

1. 1

   Lay the basket in the middle of the floor and let your child pick the first instrument.

2. 2

   Start with a slow steady beat on the drum. Your child copies with their instrument.

3. 3

   Switch: your child leads a beat and you follow.

4. 4

   Play echo games — you tap a short pattern (tap-tap-pause-tap), they repeat it.

5. 5

   Try loud and soft, fast and slow, so they hear how rhythm changes feeling.

6. 6

   End with a march around the house, everyone holding one instrument.