Preparation: You can either make these instruments ahead of time, OR in cooperation with the Sharing Time Leader you can have the children make them during a Sharing Time class and then use them during Singing Time.

Directions: Instruct the children to choose ONE of the instruments (listed below) to use or make. Then teach the children when and how they should "play" their instruments, such as during a certain part of a song, with the beat, or when you lower your hand on the down beat.

Optional Instruments: Decorating these instruments with fun feathers, glitter, and other crafty stuff makes them more interesting. Possible musical instruments to make:

• Shakers: Rice or beans in small envelope or tupperware containers. Printable music pouches in pdf format: pink, green, purple
• Drums: Small ceramic flowerpots (dollar stores sometimes have these) turned upside down, wooden beads (about the size of a nickel) glued to round (dowel) sticks make great drum sticks.
• Tambourines: Tupperware (or coolwhip/butter) lids with several jingle bells glued or strung onto them.

Notes: If you are going to have the children make their own instruments, you may want to put together any difficult parts ahead of time, and let the children decorate the rest of the instruments on their own. Afterwards you can either keep these instruments for future Singing Time classes or let the children take them home to annoy their parents with.

Also, if you don't want to make a ton of these, or have the children make them, you could make one of each and then choose your best singers to come forward and "play" the instrument during the song you are practicing

Submitted by: Cindy Foxcroft

Return to the list of Singing Time Ideas.