I have always been intrigued by the power of music. Rhythm has a deep primal effect on us all, and for children it is the first thing they naturally lean towards as babies.
Banging on pots with a wooden mixing spoon, shaking their little maracas (or plastic bottles full of dry rice), tapping away on their high chair with a sippy cup or child safe utensil, whatever it may be, rhythm and beat come very naturally to us as a species and oh boy, do kids love to make some wonderful noise!
I find it delightful then that we are so lucky these days to give our children some of the coolest ways to express themselves creatively through music and sound.
From cute little robots that blast out funky beats, electronic xylophone and drums to “follow and play along” devices and apps, it’s incredible how far we have come!
Back when I was a kid I really loved my little wooden Xylophone with its brightly coloured metal keys, it was a riot to smack out some sweet notes and watch mum and dad look over at me beaming, of course I was no Beethoven, but I loved to express myself through sound, it got my parents attention and I couldn’t resist finding more and more ways to make some noise.
These days there are so many different musical and electronic rhythm devices that it becomes overwhelming as a parent where to invest my money and my child’s time!
But being in the business of fine and unique toys, has given me the opportunity that not many other busy parents have had the pleasure of having, and that is experimentation.
I found that with electronic toys and devices kids lose interest very quickly, they are less hands on, there is less expression and physical creation happening with them, all the bells and whistles drown away the child’s ability to be imaginative and expressive.
So, I handpicked and curated a selection of musical toys that after much and thorough trialling found that kids couldn’t resist coming back to again and again which is great, because it means these musical toys aren’t going to sit on a shelf collecting dust!
These are going back to grassroots, giving our curious and inquisitive children the tools they need to express themselves and make their own paths through the beautiful world of music and sound!
As I mentioned before I loved a good whack at the xylophone and it was great, but, what if your child had a cute little music studio with all the most exciting and interesting items all in one fun package?
Check out the Melody Mix Music Station!
It Comes with 10 beautifully crafted instruments that will keep little ones playing and playing. This great start to music includes: xylophone, drum, tubular chimes, triangle, cymbal, bells, maracas, castanet, double guiro, and pair of rhythm sticks plus 2 strikers and 1 scraper, phew! That’s a lot of bang for your buck!
I was so excited to give this thing a crack, I know it’s a kid’s musical kit, but who can honestly say they wouldn’t want to sit with their children and have a play with them on this awesome music station! I did, and we had a blast, we still do!
There are guitars and pianos, but I always felt that they require so much more concentration and are for a much older age bracket, tuning and changing strings get in the way of pick up and play that little ones just need to have! That’s why it’s important to get them the right musical toys to get the perfect start so they don’t get frustrated.
Sometimes they use them not so much for music and sound play, but exploration. They may accidently pull out the guitars strings or damage a pianos keys, it’s all part of learning and growing up but as parents we really don’t want our children having down time in their creative and expressive play or the extra cost of fixing, replacing and maintaining such delicate instruments.
Don’t get me wrong guitars and pianos are amazing and great for children as they get older, but in focusing on children’s firsts steps into musical play and toys, the tools we give them need to be tough and enjoyable.
Tough like a rooster and enjoyable like a xylophone?
That’s not an analogy, because we do in fact have a Rooster Xylophone, check it out.
This Rooster Music Set by is not just a Xylophone but also includes a simple pounding drum and a wooden scraper. Playing on this music set will encourage the development of co-ordination, fine motor, sensory and basic music skills!
I hope this helps you with any future adventures you and your wonderful kids have in the world of musical toys and creative expression through rhythm and sound.
For more great musical toys check out my music section, because I have a bunch of great selections curated just for our future little virtuosos!