Music is a great way for children to learn and develop their skills while having some fun. One fun way to do this is by making your own maracas at home.
Children will work on fine motor skills while scooping the filler and holding the egg. These activities will aid in the development of small muscle groups that will assist with holding a cup, spoon, or future writing skills.
Whether you’re looking for a rainy day activity or want to add something special to your child’s daily routine, these homemade maracas hit all the right notes.
NOTE: This activity contains materials that may present a choking hazard for young children. Make sure to supervise young children when building and playing with homemade maracas.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you will need to make your own maracas with your little one:
- Plastic eggs (or small containers with lids)
- Plastic spoons (2 per maraca)
- Filler materials (such as popcorn kernels, uncooked rice, dried beans, pony beads, other small items of choice that make noise)
- Tape (For young children, choose a tape that is difficult to peel off, like duct tape)
- Stickers or markers (option for decoration)
Create Your Maracas
1. Choose Your Filler
Have your child place the filler of choice in the egg.
It can be fun to try out different types of fillers. Different types of filler and the amount of filler you use will change how your maraca sounds.
We used popcorn kernels and found that about two spoonfuls (or enough to fill the bottom half of the egg) gave us a good sound.
(If you don’t have plastic eggs, you can use small containers with lids to get the same effect.)
2. Seal the Egg
Close the egg tightly.
If you have young children or are concerned about your child opening the egg, you can either tape or glue the seam of the egg. Otherwise, you risk a mess on your floor if it accidentally pops open.
3. Add Handles
Take two spoons and place them together so the heads of the spoons are facing each other. Then, take a small piece of tape and tape the handles together.
Place the egg between the heads of the two spoons. With the tape, start wrapping the egg and the spoons until they are covered. This makes a perfect handle for little hands to grip.
4. Decorate Your Maracas (Optional)
Feel free to customize your maracas with markers, stickers, and other fun extras. This can be a great way for your little one to show off their personality and practice their fine motor skills!
Fun Ways to Use Your Maracas
When you have completed your maracas, try some fun activities to support your child’s development.
- Dance to the beat. Build your child’s gross motor skills by dancing and shaking your maraca to the beat of your favorite song.
- Play a game of follow the leader. Test your child’s cognitive and listening skills by playing a simple rhythm with your maraca and ask your child to repeat the rhythm back to you with their maraca.
- Build speech and language skills. Use the maraca to help your child hear the syllables in the words by shaking the maraca for each syllable.
Play a “stop and go” game. Shake when the music plays and freeze when it stops
Why DIY Maracas Are Great for Little Ones
Maracas are more than just fun—they’re packed with developmental benefits that support your little one’s physical and mental growth.
Sensory Play
The sounds, colors, and textures can help stimulate your child’s senses, especially auditory and tactile development.
Fine & Gross Motor Skills
Shaking maracas helps children practice gripping, hand-eye coordination, and arm movement — all key for the development of fine and gross motor skills.
Language & Listening Skills
Pair maraca shaking with songs or rhymes to boost listening skills, rhythm awareness, and early language learning. Encourage your little one to repeat the words and phrases they hear to support communication and language skills.
Emotional Bonding
Making and playing music together builds joyful, trusting relationships between you and your child. Building these strong emotional bonds are critical to your child’s mental health and sense of safety, trust, and attachment.
Support Your Child’s Growth Through Play
Activities like making DIY maracas are opportunities to connect with your child and support their growth and development. Check out the resources below for more fun play-based activities:
- Plant a Butterfly Garden
- Sensory-Based Science Projects for Little Kids
- Outdoor Play Suggestions that Develop Gross Motor Skills
- Make a Summer Fruit Necklace
- Make Your Own Playdough
Want more fun activities and parenting resources?
