Music, for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, is fun and educational. At these age ranges, music isn’t necessarily about their ability and talent to hit notes with perfect dynamics – it’s more about their eagerness to scream and let their voices be heard. At this stage, children are often drawn to songs that have repetitive lyrics, recognizable melodies, and definite beats. They also have a liking for songs that interact with them, through commands that they can follow, and directions that they can move along with. Such musical elements allow the very concept of music to become an effective way to enhance child development strategies.
Music can be a way to teach kids about toys, animals, and people. A study conducted at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute in 2016 found that musical experiences during childhood can support and enhance their development. The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM Foundation), also supports these findings as they discovered that learning to play an instrument can improve mathematical learning and found connections between musical prowess and increased SAT scores.
Music has been found to benefit children in many other ways that go beyond academic capacities. Learning and developing an interest in music at a young age has developed school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. Generally, music helps the body and the mind work together more smoothly and teach kids how to express themselves better, strengthen their memories, and improve their social-emotional capacities.
This 10-piece musical instrument set from Melissa & Doug offers your children a diverse variety of basic music instruments that will have them moving and grooving on a dance party of their own. The Melissa & Doug Band-in-a-Box Clap! Clang! Tap! – 10-Piece Musical Instrument Set helps children be part of a musical experience by equipping them with instruments that will help them interact with the music they’re listening to.
The instrument set was compiled with the specific goal of providing a diverse lineup of instruments that have all sorts of different tones, volumes, and rhythms that will develop children’s familiarity with varying sounds and develop a musical ear.
To ensure that children keep everything organized, Melissa & Doug included a sturdy wooden box for safekeeping and storage. This can be used in enforcing the important Montessori exercise of putting toys back to where they’re supposed to be stored.
People say experience is the best teacher. So what better way is there than to let your kids handle a safe and size-appropriate model of a famous musical instrument?
Giving your kids the Hape Kid’s Wooden Toy Ukulele in Blue would be a perfect way to introduce your kids to the art of music. This wooden toy ukulele is a durable model that has been customized to fit the arms of children while retaining the form and function of the real instrument up to the turnable tuning keys.
The Hape Kid’s Wooden Toy Ukulele in Blue can be used to teach your children about the fundamentals of playing guitars such as rhythm, strumming, and other musical techniques. This wooden toy can also be used to encourage children to develop auditory and creativity skills.
The kalimba is a special and exotic instrument that kids will surely enjoy because of its unique form yet soothing and gentle sound. The X8 Drums X8-CT-KLB Coconut Kalimba Thumb Piano is an exceptional rendition of the instrument that makes use of extraordinary materials such as actual coconut that responds beautifully to the sounds of the seven metal keys that produce the sound for the instrument.
The coconut kalimba thumb piano is decorated with a gecko engraving on the mahogany front plate making it even more exotic. The shell of the instrument is made out of coconut which surprisingly improves the sound quality of the kalimba metal keys. If there are any cases when the instrument is out of tune, kids can be taught how to adjust them by instructing them to loosen or tighten the screw located at the top of the kalimba piano.
The keys located farther on either side produce higher keys of sound while the ones toward the middle that are longer produce lower notes. The X8 Drums X8-CT-KLB Coconut Kalimba Thumb Piano is a unique instrument that fits well with children of all ages as it requires no higher level of music to produce pitch-perfect melodies.
Perfect for a sing-along and musical participation, the Melissa & Doug Band-in-a-Box Hum! Jangle! Shake! – 7-Piece Musical Instrument Set features widely prominent instruments for kids made out of natural material that can fit right in with a Montessori classroom.
The Melissa & Doug Band-in-a-Box Hum! Jangle! Shake! – 7-Piece Musical Instrument Set includes five fun instruments the kazoo, a harmonica, a xylophone, a jingle stick, and some castanet. As simple wind-based and percussive instruments, all of the instruments included in this Melissa & Doug set are all easy to learn and perfect for kids at a young age for their basic mechanics and wonderful sounds.
These toys are all designed to help children express themselves musically. Aside from that, each of the instruments in the package develops children’s musical skills that may branch out to other elements of development as well. The xylophone, for example, can teach children about the different tones and pitches of instruments. It shows the direct connection between sound and size and stimulates their minds as they learn more about sounds. Percussion instruments develop motor skills and rhythm for children, too.
Melissa and Doug Band-in-a-Box Chime! Whistle! Jingle! Set
Compiled for even younger children, Melissa & Doug put together the simplest instruments together to create a package that would let kids shine! As young as they are, the instruments included in the Melissa and Doug Band-in-a-Box Chime! Whistle! Jingle! Set will empower them to interact and participate in musical activities as part of the band!
Putting together instruments that need nothing more than shaking, hitting, or blowing air, kids will be able to bring out the performers in them through the Melissa and Doug Band-in-a-Box Chime! Whistle! Jingle! Set.
Each made out of high-quality materials, the Melissa and Doug Band-in-a-Box Chime! Whistle! Jingle! Set includes extremely simple instruments like a jingle stick, a pair of drumsticks, and many other easy-to-learn instruments for your musical kids.
Drums have been an effective exercise for special needs children in modern occupational therapy as it has been discovered that children who experience difficulties in expressing themselves and have challenges with communication or social skills benefit from therapeutic methods that make use of drumming techniques.
The PlanToys Solid Drum Wooden Musical Toy Instrument is a drum that can deliver the very same effects and bring a Montessori touch to the process as well with its eco-friendly constitution. This wooden toy is made in Thailand and is painted in exotic design patterns that can be visually appealing to children of all ages.
The toy was specifically made to be 6.3 x 6.3 x 3.4 inches to allow children easy handling and control of the drum and its drum sticks. The tips of the drumsticks are equipped with rubber tips to soften the sounds children produce when they play with the instruments. The drum itself was crafted in a way that it makes different sounds when hit in different places.
The PlanToys Solid Drum Wooden Musical Toy Instrument works best for children around 18 months old as it helps kids develop hand-eye coordination, communication skills, impulse control techniques, social skills, and improve their self-esteem.
Children love banging along to the rhythm of music early on in their life. To them, that is music – a raw expression of how they feel when they hear music. Toddlers have a natural talent for drumming. It’s sort of a universal language for a lot of people. It’s been recorded in human’s long history – even in caves and walls of ancient people – that humanity has viewed drumming as one of the fundamental forms of music.
People are fundamentally drawn to their drumming instincts and leaning into these children’s willingness to physically and auditory manifest their emotions benefits their brain and body development. One way to encourage this drumming exercise is through the Rhythm Band Handbells, a cowbell instrument for kids that can produce a wide range of sounds and is easy to use.
Children will only have to grab the mini mallet and start banging at the instrument. The steel cowbell is four and a half inches and was physically designed for maximum resonance.
The Hohner Kids Percussion Blocks is a musical instrument that’s fully grounded in the Montessori learning principles for its simplicity, natural constitution, and close-ended purpose. The Hohner Kids Percussion Blocks encourage kids to hit and drum along to the music they hear.
The design of this basic music instrument is as simple as it gets; it’s a hollowed wooden block that is paired with a mallet that can be played in a variety of ways to produce all sorts of sounds. This can be an easy way to introduce children to playing instruments and engage them through music lessons to augment the learning experience through music.
This instrument can help build both physical and mental capabilities, improving a child’s hand-eye capabilities, motor skills, recognition of cause and effect, helps children form an understanding of rhythm patterns that aid them to gain a better understanding of instruments and math, and guide them in developing a consistency in concentrating on one thing.
The size of the Hohner Kids Percussion Blocks was carved specifically to become big enough to allow kids to get a better grasp of the instrument and make them comfortable with holding it in their hands as they play. This toy is best for kids about three years old.
Deluxe Large 4″ Wood Frog Guiro Rasp – Percussion Musical Instrument Tone Block
This amusing frog model is actually a percussion instrument designed by World Percussion USA. Adhering to Montessori learning philosophies, the Deluxe Large 4″ Wood Frog Guiro Rasp – Percussion Musical Instrument Tone Block is a realistic model of a frog and is made out of 100% wood materials.
The entire body of the frog model is a percussion instrument and can produce unique sounds depending on which parts are hit and which end of the stick you hit it with. The sound its back makes, when the stick is run through its spine, is often compared to a realistic ribbiting or croaking sound.
The instrument is carved from a single solid piece of wood so it produces the best quality sounds. It has a natural brown wood finish and has no paint so it’s extremely safe for kids to use. It is often used as a guiro, a rasp, or a high-pitch tone block.
HAZOULEN Set of 6 Wooden Percussion Musical Egg Maracas Egg Shakers
Another important musical activity that is effective in helping brain development is shaking. Fun and simple, shaking instruments is a classic and easy way to get children involved and engaged in lessons that involve music.
The HAZOULEN Set of 6 Wooden Percussion Musical Egg Maracas Egg Shakers is an excellent way to encourage shaking activities as the eggs produce amazing sounds. They also come in a variety of colors that are visually appealing and can contribute to a fun sensory adventure.
This toy package is a fun choice for children as young as six months old as they can develop their grasping capabilities, and is an excellent option for children who love singing along and dancing along to the music. Each egg is beautifully decorated and colored and is 2.56 inches by 1.58 inches big. The eggs are safe, natural wooden, and comfortable for the hands.
Hi, my name is Elena Jones, and my full-time job is a teacher. Through teaching, I have discovered that children learn in many different ways, and have seen the positive impact both STEM and Montessori toys have on children.
Through this site I hope to educate parents and adults about these toys, providing them with useful information on how they can be used, and provide some in depth reviews of different toys to consider too.
