Make Your Own Kids Guitar

Have a rockin’ summer break by making your very own homemade guitar! 

 

Click HERE  to watch a video of our music therapist showing you how to make a guitar out of common household items. 

 

To make your guitar, you will need:

  • An empty tissue box (or other cardboard box with a hole cut in the middle)
  • An empty paper towel roll
  • 4-6 rubber bands (use different sizes and thicknesses to experiment with different sounds)
  • 2 thin markers or pencils
  • A dark marker (to mark on the box)
  • A craft knife or scissors
  • Optional: decorations (stickers, paint, pompoms, etc.)

 

Directions:

  1. Use the marker to draw an “H” shape that is slightly smaller than the width of the paper towel roll where the neck will go on your guitar. 
    • If you are right handed, the neck will come out of the left side of the guitar when looking down at it. If you are left handed, it will come out of the right side. 
  2. Cut along the lines of the “H” and push the sides inwards (cutting cardboard can be tricky, be careful!)
  3. Insert the paper towel roll into the hole.
  4. Stretch the rubber bands around the box and move them over the opening. You can use 4 rubber bands to make a ukulele, or 6 for a guitar! 
  5. Slide your markers or pencils under the rubber bands on the top and bottom of the guitar. (This is the secret to really getting a good sound out of your homemade guitar!)
  6. Finally, you can use stickers, paint, colorful tape, and more to decorate your guitar. 
  7. Have a jam session and play along to your favorite songs! Have fun! 

 

Crafts like this one are not only fun, they also work on important skills, including…

  • Sequencing and following directions
  • Creativity and self-expression
  • Problem solving (What can we do if a rubber band breaks? What can we do if the hole for the neck is too small?)
  • Bilateral coordination (stretching the rubber bands around the box and playing the guitar when it’s finished)

 

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