christmas music
the
sounds
of christmas
By Philippa Winch
With the Christmas season here, it is time to dust off the
carol books, get out the Christmas CDs and make some
Christmas music with your family. Here are some fun
ways to help your children enter into the Christmas spirit.
Children will love making their own musical
instruments to play along to the music.
These instruments can be made from things
that you already have around your house or
can be purchased cheaply from craft shops.
bells
Christmas just isn’t the same without bells!
These can be purchased either in packets
or individually from craft shops. Thread
them onto a pipe cleaner, wrapping the
ends of the pipe cleaner around themselves
to make a loop. These are fun for even tiny
tots to play with.
chimes and gongs
Tie a piece of rope between two sturdy
objects. You could tie or thread on this rope
items such as kitchen utensils, lightweight
pots and pans, keys, actual instruments
such as triangles, tambourines, or anything
that would sound good when tapped with a
wooden or metal spoon.
ribbon sticks/scarves
Younger children will enjoy waving scarves
around to the Christmas songs. Find
scarves that are in Christmas colours, such
as green and red. These can be purchased
cheaply from op shops. Alternately,
purchase some Christmas ribbon and make
some ribbon sticks. You will need 2 metres
of Christmas ribbon, a piece of dowel about
20cm in length, a fishing swivel and a screw.
Fold 10cm of the ribbon over at the top and
at the fold, fold the two edges in to make a
triangular shape. Sew along the edge of the
material that is folded over, then with a few
stitches attach the ribbon onto a loop of the
fishing swivel. Put a screw through the loop
at the other end of the fishing swivel and
screw into the dowel. These ribbons make a
great Christmas present to give to a friend.
drums
harp
Drums can be made easily by obtaining
from disused large cardboard cylinders and
discarded lino samples from flooring stores.
Cut the cardboard cylinder down to a
manageable size and paint. Children will
have just as much fun painting it as you will.
Cut the lino to fit onto the top of the
cardboard cylinder and staplegun the
edges down.
Stretch rubber bands of different sizes and
thicknesses over the hole in a tissue box.
These can be strummed or plucked.
shakers
Shakers can be created by filling cardboard
cylinders with dried pasta or rice, making
cardboard stoppers to cover the hole at
both ends and securing with duct tape.
tambourines
Simple tambourines can be made from
paper plates by stapling the edge of the
plates together with the underside of the
plate facing outwards. Before adding the
last few staples use a funnel to tip some
rice or dried pasta into the centre. To
decorate, paint the plates and staple on
some coloured crepe paper streamers.
Older children can make more advanced
tambourines by using the outside rim of a
cake tin. Cover the outside with vaseline
and then papier-mâché around this to make
a reasonably thick layer. Leave to dry. Once
dry, separate the papier-mâché layer from
the tin. The vaseline will help to make this
easier. Form a hole (2cm x 4cm) in the
centre of the papier-mâché at various points
around the ring. Thread washers onto
toothpicks and sellotape the toothpicks
above and below the hole, so the centre of
the toothpick that has the washers on it is
visible through the hole. Papier-mâché over
where the toothpicks were attached. Once
dry, paint and decorate.
cymbals/clappers
Two pot lids banged together make great
cymbals. Older children will enjoy making
clappers using wooden paint stirrers. Once
the glue is dry, paint the clappers and
decorate.
musical comb organ
Fold a piece of paper over the teeth of a
comb. Press your lips together over the
folded edge of the paper and blow – see if
you can hum along to your favourite
Christmas tune.
more musical fun
Going away over the holidays? To make a long car trip more enjoyable for everyone,
take along some favourite Christmas CDs that everyone can sing along to. If you
haven’t any at home, check out your local library as they will often have a selection
that you can borrow, or network with family and friends to see if you can arrange to
swap ones you already have for others that your children might equally enjoy.
Summer with daylight savings is often a difficult time to get children to bed as it is, let
alone all the added excitement of Christmas. If you are finding getting your children to
sleep has become a mission, try playing a CD of soothing, gentle music to listen to in
their bedroom (not Jingle Bell Rock!).
What better thing to do at this time of the year but spread some Christmas cheer with
a neighbourhood concert? Choose an evening where you can get as many members
of the neighbourhood together as possible. Families can bring a plate of food, some
drink and contribute an item to the concert – whether it be a talented family of singers,
playing a musical instrument, or little dancers who really know how to put the moves
together with the right piece of Christmas music. A Christmas concert is just the ticket
to getting to know your neighbours better, enjoying their company and putting a little
Christmas spirit in everyone’s hearts. You may even be able to show off those
homemade instruments you made!
Last but not least, get along to some of the great Christmas concerts and Carols by
Candlelight events happening in your community. Such events are bound to add to the
special memories your children will look back on in years to come.
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