Thump. Thump. Thump. As the racers round the corner, my kids pound harder on their drums their eyes peeled for our cousin.

I’m not sure what they’re more excited about; getting to see him running in the marathon or the drums they made themselves. These drums are a huge hit both for cheering racers and later for making music around the house.

We made these after several conversations about an upcoming marathon that our cousin was racing in. We talked loosely about how he would be running really fast and it was important for us to encourage him by cheering.

Whatever your motivation, these drums are easy to make and fun to play.

DIY Coffee Can Drums

Materials

• Acrylic paint
• Empty and Washed Coffee Can
• Cup for Paint
• Paint Brush
• Paint Mat and/or table cover
• Wet Washcloths (for clean up)

Set Up

1.  Prepare an area for each child. A mat, a coffee can, cups for paint, and a paint brush.
2. Dampen some washcloths for clean up.

Activity

The invitations were set up during playtime. When they noticed what was on the table, I asked if they wanted to make drums for cheering.

If you are doing it solely for making music, simply asking if they would like to make a drum works too.

Ask what color paint they would like and pour some in their cups.

Invite them to paint the coffee can. Allow them to paint freely.

Encourage them to paint the different sides if they would like (for example, “do you want to paint on the other side too?”

Clean Up

Use the washcloths to wipe hands and then send your little one to the bathroom to clean their brush.

Move the coffee cans somewhere safe for drying and wipe down the table with washcloths if needed.

Once they are dry – bang away! We used both drum sticks we had, our hands, and plastic shakers to drum on the drums

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