I love it when family gathers for the holidays. Don’t you? I have a cousin and a niece who are about the same age (3ish year old). When they play together, I melt from all of the adorable-ness. Usually they get along great and it is easy to entertain them. Other times they squabble like an old married couple, and we have to find a way to distract them.
The other day I was scrambling for a way to keep those munchkins entertained. They wanted to color, but there were no coloring books to be found. However, paper plates were in great supply. I set two plates, along with crayons, in front of each of them, and they went to work.
Part-way through their craft-time, I was inspired to create easy, frugal, DIY instruments.
After their masterpieces were created, I search the pantry and found some dry beans. I grabbed a stapler and made a musical concoction.
To do so:
- place a handful of dry beans one of of the plates
- put the other plate on top of the first so that the two undersides are facing out
- staple around the rims of the plates
Are they tambourines? or are they maracas? Not sure, but they are wonderfully loud noise makers that will keep a couple of toddlers entertained for hours. There are pictures of the little ones playing with this instrument, plus instructions for DIY drums from cans over at my blog.
Disclaimer: parents & caretakers of toddlers in possession of these tambourines/maracas should invest in a pair of earplugs.
Find even more cheap craft ideas!
Have you made musical instruments for your toddlers? What unique twists did you add?
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Erin is a nurse, wife, blogger, adventurer, crafter, reader, chef, and friend who tries to live simply and frugally.
Find all of Erin's posts on Little House Living.
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I like this idea, Erin. Wish I’d thought of it when my kids were younguns
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When my kids were little we had all kinds of homemade things like this!