Bottle Shaker Band

What you need

• rinsed plastic bottles
• rice
• dried pasta
• tape

How to do it

1. Half fill one rinsed plastic bottle with rice and another with dried pasta.
2. Tape both lids on firmly so nothing can come back out.
3. Give your toddler one shaker and shake your own in time to a song.
4. Swap shakers partway through so they hear the different sound each one makes.
5. Let them shake freely and stop and start with the music.

Why it matters

Shaking two bottles that sound different teaches toddlers to listen for change, an early step towards telling sounds apart in words. Both bottles are rinsed drinks packaging with a second life as instruments before the recycling.

What they're learning

Listening

Telling the rice bottle's rattle from the pasta bottle's is early listening for change.

Cause and effect

Shaking harder or softer changes the sound on purpose.

Turn-taking

Swapping shakers partway through practises handing something over and waiting for a turn.

What to look for

Watch for them shaking harder or softer to match a faster or slower song, rather than always shaking the same way.

A tip

Tape the lids shut fully and check them before every use; the rice and pasta must not be able to spill out.

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