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Here are some inexpensive drums you can have
your children make.
BONGO DRUMS
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Collect 2-3 round oatmeal boxes with lids. |
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Press the lids on tight and tape them in place. |
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Then wrap tape around the boxes, holding them
together. |
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This drum is best played while sitting on the
floor or a chair. |
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COFFEE
CAN DRUM
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Select a coffee can with a plastic lid. |
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Punch two holes in opposite sides of the can near the
top. |
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Then string a piece of ribbon through the holes. Tie
ends together. |
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Replace the plastic lid and show your child how to
hang the drum around their necks. |
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This drum is perfect for a marching activity. |
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POT AND PAN DRUMS
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Metal pots and pans of all shapes and sizes make wonderful
drums when turned up-side down. |
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| BOWL DRUM
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Stretch heavy plastic, cloth, vinyl, leather, or pieces
of rubber intertubes over the top of a wooden bowl. |
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Hold in place with a large rubber band. |
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You can also substitute small glass jars, or dried,
hollowed out gourds for the bowl. |
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DRUM
MALLETS
Vary your child’s drumming experience by providing a variety
of drumsticks, brushes, and mallets for them to experiment
with. You might try:
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Wooden dowels |
Rubber spatulas |
Paint brushes |
Unsharpened pencils |
Lincoln logs |
Tooth brushes |
Chopsticks |
Craft sticks |
Thimbles |
Chopsticks |
Wire brushes |
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To protect the drums and your children, you might want to wrap
tape or foam around the ends of the wooden objects.
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Now make your drums come
alive with these fun drum activities.
DRUM SIGNALS
Talk with your children about how tribal cultures used drum
sounds to signal different events in their lives. Changes
in the tempo or the beat of a drum would mean different things
at different times. Drums might be used to call people together
for a meeting, a feast, or a festival. Other drumbeats might
be used to warn people of danger, or announce a death or a
birth. Drums were also used to guide hunters to good hunting
grounds.
Make up different events and let your child try making a
drum signal for each event.
If events are too hard for your child, just use feelings,
such as how would you express,
Being happy, sad, scared, etc.
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WORD CHANTS
Sit down with your child and show him how to drum different
people’s names.
Example: The name Mary would have two beats,
the name Alexandra would have four beats. Children can also
beat out the syllables in words and phrases, such as; “peanut
butter and jelly.” This would have 7 beats.
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DRUM MOVES
Encourage your child to use his drum while listening to music.
Have him try to pick up the tempo (or beat) of the music. |
MARCHING DRUMS
Encourage your child to march around the room, pretending she
is in a marching band.
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