Kids instinctively love music, whether it's nursery rhymes, pop music, lift music or classical they do tend to stop and listen when they hear music being played.

All children, it seems, also like to make loud noises. Whether it's shouting, singing, blowing a trumpet, or just banging around they love to be heard. But what are the benefits of introducing music to children from a young age?

Why instruments are good for children

• Hand eye co-ordination. To hold a spoon and bang a saucepan lid takes aim, and action to make the noise happen effectively.
• Singing and learning new songs is good for children as it helps them learn new words and announciate words properly that they already know.
• Singing may also improve their understanding of words and encourage them to branch out with their vocabulary.
• Listening is greatly helped by music. Getting children to listen to the sounds of the music, beat out a rhythm and imitate the noise they hear is good for their listening skills and can even benefit their mathematical skills.
• Even if you can't sing or play an instrument, you can encourage your child to enjoy music. Play them lots of different types of music and listen to them together.
• Have a dance and try to hear whether the music is fast or slow. Good exercise!
• The children don't care if you can sing or not... as far as they are concerned you are playing and interacting with them so they are happy, so don't be discouraged if you don't sing pitch perfect! And, if they see you having a go... they will too!
• Make your own instruments by putting beans or pasta or lentils in a bottle to make a shaker or banging some tins with a wooden spoon.
• Do clapping and slapping games. Clap a few times and see if your child can copy. Then clap a rhythm and see if they can copy.
• Sing songs and nursery rhymes together. Sing loudly, softly, fast and slow.
• Try making music with your own body... slap (gently!) your cheek with a finger, or clap your thigh, flick and click your fingers, clap hands together.
• Do action songs... I'm A Little Teapot, Row Row etc.

Enjoy!

Musical instruments are great fun for making a bit of noise and banging, drumming or tapping in time with songs and music.  Even more fun is making instruments yourselves and having a go at using your own creations.  It's simple, and it's cheap and it's a great activity to do together.  Here's how to make a few different instruments to play at home with the little ones:-

Maracas: half fill empty plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes with different sorts of dried beans and pulses.  Pasta, dried peas, lentils, rice etc all make a great noise.  Screw the top tightly so none come out and secure with tape too.

Drums: put some dried pasta into closed and sealed margarine tubs or yogurt pots with lids.  Tape closed and drum with a wooden spoon.  You will hear the beans jump around inside along with the drumming noise as they bang.

Trumpets: decorate kitchen roll tubes with stickers and streamers and simply blow and toot into them!  Couldn't be easier and great to accompany a nursery rhyme.

Rhythm sticks: tie ribbons or streamers to wooden spoons and bang together in time with the music.  Ideal!

Saucepans drums: an old favourite and super fun if you really don't mind a big, metallic noise!  Set up some saucepans, upside down on the floor and give them a bang!  Use wooden spoons or pasty brush for a more muted sound!

Cymbals: Clang two lids together or hit one with a wooden spoon.  Don't use glass lids and be careful of dents!

Percussion: try jingling keys, tapping metal cutlery together, rubbing 2 scrubbing brushes together or even two pencils for a more gentle noise!