Musical Instruments for Kids
Kindergarten · Music · Study Guide
Discover different musical instruments and learn how they make sound.
Music is made with instruments! An instrument is something you play to make musical sounds. There are many kinds of instruments, and they each make different sounds.
Some instruments you hit or shake to make sounds. These are called percussion instruments. Drums, tambourines, and maracas are percussion instruments. When you hit a drum, it makes a booming sound. When you shake maracas, they rattle and make a fun sound.
Some instruments have strings that you pluck or strum. These are called string instruments. A guitar has strings that you strum with your fingers. When the strings vibrate, they make music.
Some instruments make sound when you blow air into them. A flute and a trumpet are wind instruments. When you blow air into them, the air vibrates inside to make a sound.
A piano is a special instrument. When you press a key on a piano, a small hammer inside hits a string to make a note. Pianos can play both high and low sounds.
Learning to play an instrument takes practice, but it is so much fun!
Key terms
- instrument
- An object used to make musical sounds
- percussion
- Instruments you hit or shake to make sound, like drums and tambourines
- string instruments
- Instruments with strings that vibrate to make sound, like a guitar
- wind instruments
- Instruments you blow air into to make sound, like a flute or trumpet
- vibrate
- To move back and forth very quickly to create sound
- drum
- A percussion instrument you hit with your hands or sticks to make a booming sound
Flashcards
- Drum
- A percussion instrument you hit to make a booming sound
- Guitar
- A string instrument you strum or pluck to make music
- Flute
- A wind instrument you blow across to make sound
- Trumpet
- A wind instrument you blow into and press buttons to play notes
- Piano
- A keyboard instrument where pressing keys makes hammers hit strings inside
- Tambourine
- A percussion instrument you shake or tap to make jingling sounds
- Maracas
- Percussion instruments you shake to make a rattling sound
- Percussion instruments
- Instruments you hit or shake to make sound
Questions
Which of these is a percussion instrument?
- Guitar
- Flute
- Drum
- Piano
Show answer
Answer: Drum
A drum is a percussion instrument. Percussion instruments make sound when you hit or shake them.
A guitar is a string instrument.
Show answer
Answer: True
A guitar is a string instrument. It has strings that vibrate when you strum or pluck them to make music.
How do you play a wind instrument like a flute?
- You hit it
- You strum it
- You blow air into it
- You shake it
Show answer
Answer: You blow air into it
Wind instruments like the flute make sound when you blow air into or across them.
A ___ is a percussion instrument you shake to make a rattling sound.
Show answer
Answer: maraca
Maracas are percussion instruments that you shake to make a rattling sound.
You hit a drum to make it play a sound.
Show answer
Answer: True
A drum makes sound when you hit its surface with your hands or drumsticks.
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