Every week, Child Care Resources will publish The Bored Jar blog, which will provide you with ideas of activities to do with the children in your care. We know that much of the correspondence we send has to do with rules and regulations, but The Bored Jar will only be filled with fun activities. Whenever you’re bored with your kids, try some of our Bored Jar ideas!

Homemade Kazoos

Homemade kazoos are a great musical activity for kids of all levels of ability, and they’re also really simple to make. Kids enjoy this activity because they’ve helped create the music instrument, and once the kazoo is made, they love to make music with it.

What is Learned:

• Experimentation with sounds
• Hand-eye coordination
• Cause and effect

Materials:

• Toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls
• Wax paper
• Scissors
• Rubber bands
• Hole puncher
• Masking tape

Directions:

Create the kazoo by taking a toilet paper roll or paper towel roll and use a hole puncher to create a hole located about 3/4” of an inch from the end of the tube.

Next, cut a piece of wax paper large enough to fit over and around the end of the tube. Place the wax paper over the end of the tube where you punched the whole and secure the wax paper tightly to the roll with a rubber band.

That’s all there is to it. Kids can use the kazoo by placing their mouth on the open end and creating sounds. Remember, they shouldn’t forcefully blow into the tube. They should simply make a humming noise into the homemade kazoo to create various sounds.

This can be a good activity for kids with delays because it involves producing sounds by using your vocal cords. Children of different types of abilities can participate because most can produce sounds, even if they are speech or language delayed.

If some kids have motor delays, a provider can help hold the kazoo to their mouths to play the kazoo. You just need to know what kind of assistance your individual child needs and help them so they can be successful with it.

If you only have one child, make sure to also make a kazoo for yourself and participate with your child in this activity. For older children, you can get them involved in making the kazoos.

To find out more about this activity and others check out A Place of Our Own.