by Tamsyn

March 11, 2016

Jingle Bells and Egg Shaker Package Giveaway
Make your own egg shakers too!
-Just in time for Easter!

Singing and storytime circles are even more fun when each child is handed an instrument to play.  While there are many instruments that are great for music circles, these 20 percussion instruments all in one package looked like a great value, especially if you are just getting started.  Even if you already have a collection of instruments- there's always room for more!

percussion instrument

Jingle Bells Rock!

And not just at Christmas time, although they are even more special during the holidays.  Singing "Jingle Bells" with real jingle bells is a favorite activity for many children. 

My favorite part of about these particular Jingle Bells is that they can be worn.  Strap them on the child's wrist or ankles and they have all the invitation they need to get up and move.

I have a backpack full of different hand-held percussion instruments.  In a classroom setting our three jingle bells are always some among the first to be picked, along with the triangle.  They are very popular!

Egg Shaker Fun

Egg shakers are so much fun!  Because they are relatively inexpensive, especially if you make your own, every child in a storytime circle or preschool setting can have their own to play with.  When I bring my collection of instruments, the kids often fight over particular instruments, so having a variety of the same kind can help eliminate the jealousies tiny children are prone to have.

There are many egg-shaking songs available on the internet that are relatively easy to learn.  As I looked online for a few to share with you, JBrary's pinterest page had the best examples that were easy to digest.  I shared one of their videos on the right.  I love that while their primary focus is on storytime circles in a library setting, they have incorporated so much music into their special hour.  Isn't that awesome?!

percussion instrument

While egg shakers have applicable use even in professional music, homemade egg shakers are best for very young children.  They don't have a rich enough sound to carry through in a band or choral setting. 

True story- I asked my kids if they would sit in a circle so we could take a picture of them having fun with the Easter eggs.  My oldest (8), who thought they were the bee's knees at 3, absolutely did not want to participate this time.  He told me he was not going to lie to the internet world about how fun the eggs were to play with by putting on a happy face when he really thinks that they're baby stuff.  Um, okay.  I appreciate your integrity, bud.  My 6 and 5-year-olds were indifferent.  My 3 and almost 2 year-olds were thrilled to play along.  I share to give you an idea of which age-group will appreciate egg-play the most.

Make your own Easter Egg Shakers

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since I made our last post on making Easter Egg shakers.  They were so much fun, but they didn't make it past Easter.  Since that time I have seen another musician make them by taping them shut with colorful duct tape.  Now THAT is the way to do it!  The eggs we made the first time were durable enough, but the temptation to try and open them was too much.

This activity is easier to do before Easter time because the stores are well-stocked with plastic eggs.  However, you can buy Easter eggs year-round online so don't let the season stop you if this is something you want to do.​

We made ours with rice, although a variety of materials can be used.  Once they were taped down the middle, my kids started shaking them and to our surprise, the rice started coming out of the tiny air holes on either side.  Because of this, we taped them again on the vertical line.  They still ended up being very pretty!  If you use eggs that need the vertical tape, I recommend lining up the holes in the top and bottom BEFORE you tape them down the middle.  I didn't, and it was kind of tricky to tape them so that all the holes were covered.  I had to make a tiny patch on two of them because I didn't know I would face that problem.

The thing I really love about homemade egg shakers is that there is no candy in them and the kids still love them.  Kids get enough candy these days, and some kids are allergic to many of the ingredients found in candy.  You can make a bunch of these to contribute to an Easter egg hunt.  They are easy to make, and the kids love to help.

Learn more about the instruments the winner will receive on Amazon

Giveaway Rules

About the author 

Tamsyn

My name is Tamsyn and I love music. I got my bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from USU. I spent many years teaching private piano lessons until I had children of my own. I have attended several children workshops on how to teach children music. I really like the Kodaly method, but have adapted a lot of different techniques for my own children.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

  1. What a fun give away! I made egg shakers for the last nursery I worked with, but donated them to that ward when I moved. I have since been called to teach music time again, so thanks for the reminder! The bells would be an awesome addition to my instrument collection! I agree, it is always best to have duplicates of instruments to elimate tears! I’ve been trying to lead a story time for the community too and always love to get the children actively involved. Egg shakers and bells would be perfect! Here’s hoping!

      1. That’s funny, because as I was reading your comment, I thought of you because I think you were the first one I saw make homemade egg shakers in the ward. Then I saw your name. 🙂

  2. I already use some homemade egg shakers and bell bracelets to teach the toddlers at my church. we love to sing Do As I’m Doing while we shake them!

  3. I have been enjoying your blog, and have gotten lots of great ideas for working with my son. Thank you for all your hard work! Definitely going to look into the home made egg shakers.

    1. Ah, thank you Beth! Good luck with the egg-shakers. My older kids have softened up to them as we have done some egg-hunt activities.

  4. I would use these with my two kids. They love music! I like singing songs with them like 5 Little Ducks and 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the bed. I think these instruments would make our singing time even more fun! 🙂

  5. I would love these!! I have 60 preschoolers all together once a week for music class (scheduling issues), so I don’t have enough instruments for them each to have the same ones. Getting these 20 egg shakers and 20 jingle bells would be 20 less instruments that I would have to make. 🙂

  6. these would be great for everyday activities birthday parties etc these are a pretty amazing way to incorporate music into everyday fun…

  7. Oh I LOVE using music to help teach things! One of my favorite ways to use instruments is to help with counting! Kids always make such beautiful music!

    1. So true! I love it when the borders of music learning, math learning, reading learning, etc are dissolved and it all becomes a whole-learning experience. 🙂

  8. I would use these with my children we usually have music and dance daily to keep them active. This would bring more fun.

  9. I would make Easter Egg Shakers. What a great idea! I love singing at Story Time. Thanks for sharing and the giveaway! kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.

  10. Sorry about the Anonymous post. I would make Easter Egg Shakers. What a great idea! I love singing at Story Time. Thanks for sharing and the giveaway! kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.

  11. We actually have already made the eggs. My son loves to use them when we play our homemade instruments. He loves music and that is a big part of his day..

  12. we’re homeschoolers so id love to share these with our little group because we teach the music too! this would be great for teaching patterns and rhythms to the little ones!

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Get our Free Starter Kit

Our 61-page e-book offers some of our best content, and more than enough to get you started, including the ever-popular Piano Chord Wheel, Rainbow Castle, the color-coded Piano Insert, Rhythm Bingo, and more!