Get your kids excited about exploring music by making your own paper tube xylophone. Or, make a few and start your own xylophone band!

What You’ll Need

• Paper tubes of various sizes (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.)
• Acrylic paints
• Craft knife, box cutter or scissors
• Cardboard
• Rubber bands or hair ties
• Glue
• Chopsticks

What You’ll Do

• Cut 6-8 paper tubes in varying sizes, each measuring an inch less in length than the previous tube.
• Paint each tube a different color.
• Create the underside of your xylophone frame by lining up all of your paper tubes in order. You should end up with a trapezoid shape. Measure the total length and width and cut a large piece of cardboard to match your measurements.
• Measure and cut four one-inch-high pieces of cardboard to surround the frame. Secure the pieces with glue to the frame underside piece.
• Secure the paper tubes together with rubber bands. For a secure fit, connect each tube to its neighbor by twisting the rubber band in a figure eight pattern, and using a rubber band on both the top and bottom of each tube. Repeat until all tubes are connected.
• Place the tubes inside the xylophone frame. If it doesn’t fit tightly, use a small amount of glue to attach it.
• Use chopsticks as drumsticks and explore the different sounds the paper xylophone makes.

What Kids Learn

• Confidence
• Coordination
• Creative Thinking

How to Support the Play

• Remember: There is often more than one “right way” of doing things.
• When a child asks for help, guide without taking over. Nudge them along with suggestions framed as questions. “What would happen if…?”
• Avoid imposing one right way of doing things!

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES