We have another lovely musical treat from The Sound Collector this week, following the fabulous how to make a kazoo craft that we had for you recently. We are showing you how to make maracas at home now. We are sure that your kids, and you will love this new activity.
Why making music is good for kids
Music an excellent way for kids to explore creativity & emotions. Besides, research proves making music enhances cognitive development, such as memory & communication skills, and overall brain function.
Playing an instrument with other kids provides children with opportunities for socialization & building friendships. After all, music has the power to bring children together.
The benefits of learning and making music are boundless – let’s support every child’s musical journey! 🎶
To this end, we’ve got this fabulous craft from The Sound Collector – a wonderful children’s TV series on ITVX where a small, boy collects sounds, with his friend, mole.
How to make maracas
Before making your maracas, you need to make sure you have the right materials:
- Cardboard tube kitchen roll – the bigger ones than the toilet rolls!
- Uncooked rice or dried lentils, dried beans, or beads, or pretty much anything that you have to hand that you think might work within the maracas,
- Masking tape,
- Paint, and
- Colourful washi tape or ribbon.
Maracas are a fun, and fabulous craft for the kids, not least because it can get them moving. To make these maracas you need to:
- Use tape to seal the end of the kitchen roll,
- Take the rice, beans, or whatever it is that you have to hand,
- Fill up the tube to about a third of the way up,
- Tape up the other end with the rice and beans inside,
- Decorate the kitchen roll however you would love, and
- Shape the maracas so that you can make as much noise, and as much music as you would like with it.
All done – have fun with a few of them, or shake them on your own!
If you would like to download the instructions for making maracas, just click on the button below and they are yours:
Maracas, maracas everywhere
Maracas are a fun percussion instrument that kids love to play. They are believed to have originated in Latin America and were traditionally made from gourds filled with beans or seeds. Nowadays, they are typically made of wood or plastic and often painted in bright, festive colours.
Playing maracas can help children develop their sense of rhythm and coordination. By shaking them in time to music, children can also improve their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. In addition to these physical benefits, playing maracas can also help children develop their auditory skills, as they learn to distinguish between different rhythms and sounds.
Playing maracas together can also be a great way for kids to learn about teamwork and cooperation. By playing together, they can learn to listen to each other and adjust their playing accordingly, resulting in a harmonious sound. Overall, maracas are a fun and educational instrument that kids can enjoy playing both alone and with others.
If you are looking for other fun crafts on the site, why not check out some of these ideas?
Other musical crafts and articles on the KiddyCharts site
Here are some more musical articles and crafts from the site. Check them out now.
DIY kazoo: How to make your own kazoo today
Find out how to make a kazoo from things you have at home!
6 reasons why playing music helps your child
Why playing music to your kids is awesome, and you need to keep doing it.
Musical instruments for kids: 8 reasons why they should learn
Reasons why learning a musical instrument is really good for your kids if you can get them to sit still long enough 😂
Here are some more maracas ideas for you as well, from sites off here:
Other maracas ideas for crafts and silly fun!
Here are some more ideas for making maracas from around the web - why not check them out now.
EASY AND FUN EGG MARACAS
Make maracas out of eggs - brightly coloured and loads of fun!
Paper Towel Roll Crafting – The Pinterested Parent
This article includes a variation of the maracas with the kitchen roll - as well as other awesome kitchen roll craft ideas too.
Easy to Make Shakers and Maracas
This is a rather simple to make shaker / maracas for kids that uses lids instead of kitchen roll. Check it out!
Do sign up to our site as well for more amazing ideas from us:
If you would like to learn more about The Sound Collector as well – take a look at this gorgeous video of them in action:
Come back to see us soon won’t you.
Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine! Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time. KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. Get in touch TODAY!