Musical Play for Phonics: Exploring Instrumental Sounds at Home – Week 5

Intro

If your child loves banging on a saucepan with a wooden spoon — great news: they’re doing phonics.

Seriously.

In Phase 1 phonics, children don’t start with letters. They start with sounds — and that includes the musical, clangy, bangy, rattly kind that comes from instruments (or anything that can be used like one!).

This week, we’re diving into Aspect 2: Instrumental Sounds — and sharing five super fun ways to explore them at home, no expensive toys or musical training required.

• What are Instrumental Sounds in Phonics
• 5 Fun Instrumental Sound Activities
• Free Phonics Activity Worksheet
• Greetings from Grace
• Week 6’s Preview
• FAQs

What Are Instrumental Sounds in Phonics?

Instrumental sounds are any sounds made using:

• Real instruments (drums, shakers, bells)
• Homemade instruments (pots, pans, rice bottles)
• Household items used in creative, noisy ways

The goal is to help your child:

• Notice the different sounds around them
• Compare pitch, tone, and rhythm
• Copy and repeat sounds they hear
• Develop their auditory memory and focus

These early listening and sound discrimination skills make it much easier for children to later hear and blend spoken sounds in words — like hearing the difference between /p/ and /b/.

5 Fun Instrumental Sound Activities (No Music Skills Needed!)

1. Kitchen Band Time

Grab wooden spoons, pans, plastic tubs, and metal lids — and make your own band!
Take turns playing and copying each other’s beats.

🟣 Try this: Tap a short rhythm and see if your child can repeat it exactly.

2. Shaker Sound Guessing Game

Fill several plastic bottles with different materials (rice, pasta, bells, beads) and shake them behind your back.

Can your child guess which is which?

🟣 Top tip: Let them create their own shaker too — and test you!

3. Which Sound Is Louder?

Explore volume by tapping or shaking different objects:

• Metal spoon on saucepan
• Hand tapping cushion
• Fingers on glass
  Talk about which sound is loud, soft, high, low, long, short.

🟣 Why this helps: It builds vocabulary and sharpens your child’s ear for contrast in sounds — a key reading skill later on.

4. Musical Story Time

Pick a favourite picture book and add your own sound effects with instruments or household items.
E.g. “The bear walked through the forest” → bang a drum for footsteps, shake foil for wind, etc.

🟣 Fun idea: Let your child pick the sound for each event or character!

5. Freeze and Play

Play a simple freeze game with sounds. Make a steady beat and let your child move to it. Stop the sound — and they freeze!

🟣 Variation: Swap roles or change instruments each round to keep it fresh.

Download Your Free Noisy Story Time! Activity Worksheet

Make story time a listening and sound extravaganza with our FREE printable Phase 1 Noisy Story Time! Activity worksheet:

👉 [Click here to download your free worksheet] Print it out and you’ll be ready to play in minutes!

You can totally do this activity with almost no prep at all, just your favourite picture book, your voices, pots, pans, a wooden spoon and maybe your salt and pepper shakers. Add in that almost empty bottle of water and you’re good to go! You’ll be amazed at all the different sounds, both loud and quiet, you can make with your voices and just these items by changing the speed, force, and angles that you use to make noise with these instruments.

But…

If you have a bit more time on your hands, and are feeling creative, here’s a video with some great ways to make some super cool (how old am I? 😂) homemade instruments to use with your story. Don’t say I never gave you anything.

Pots, Pans, Rice, Pasta and the Joy of Not Buying a Thing

Hi again, it’s Grace.

Still reading these greetings even though they’re technically optional?

I think that might make us internet friends 😊

Right—Let’s Talk About Making Noise

This week is all about using everyday stuff—yes, the things currently cluttering your kitchen—to help your child with their phonics journey.

And… I had a little moment of nostalgia while thinking about this week’s topic.

Bear with me.

Life Before the Internet (Yes, I’m Going There)

I grew up in London. I still live here. And no. I’m not about to tell you my address 😉

But…

Way back then, (it wasn’t that long ago), if you wanted to know what someone else had, you had to actually go to their house. Like, be invited. Turn up. Actually sit on their Mum’s sofa. Before you could have a nosy around!

Now?

We have Instagram.

And do you know what I’ve noticed?

In this digital age, this world where Instagram exists, it’s easy to start thinking that if we don’t have more stuff, the latest and most high tech stuff, then we may not be doing things right.

Especially as a parent.

But guess what?

Children Don’t Care About Any of That

I mean, be honest—have you ever spent way too much on a “perfect” toy, only to have your child fall madly in love with… the box it came in?

Or that crinkly wrapping paper?

Or bubble wrap?

Or the random plastic spoon from the kitchen drawer?

Yeah. Same.

So if you’ve been feeling like you need to spend a fortune to “do phonics right” at home—let me gently stop you right there.

Children—especially the under-5s—don’t care about price tags or trends. They want to shake things, bang things, pour things, drop things, and make a joyful mess in the process.

Which brings us to this week’s activity.

Get Out the Pots and Pans, the Spoons and Spatulas

Yes. Really.

Grab some wooden spoons. Tupperware. Dry rice. Pasta. Water.
Let your child shake, stir, bang, and listen to the wonderful 🤭 sounds these common objects make.

This kind of play helps children learn to listen for and identify the sounds of everyday objects—which helps build the skills they’ll need when we eventually get to the letter sounds.

You don’t need a fancy drum or a shaker. I mean buy one if you really want to.

But…

You’ve got everything you need in your kitchen already.

Unless you’ve run out of cutlery or wooden spoons, of course…

Coming Up Next Week…

Next week, we’ll be using body percussion (claps, stomps, snaps, and more!) to continue building listening and rhythm skills for phonics — all with zero equipment and maximum fun.

🟡 Read next: [Week 6 – Clap, Tap, Stomp: Body Percussion Games for Early Reading Skills]

FAQs

What are instrumental sounds in Phase 1 phonics?
Any sounds made by instruments or everyday items used like instruments — such as pans, shakers, or bells.

Why are instrumental sounds important?
They help children recognise and describe different sounds, copy rhythms, and develop listening and memory skills needed for reading.

How do you teach instrumental sounds at home?
Use simple activities like kitchen bands, shaker guessing games, and adding sound effects to stories.

Do I need to buy musical instruments for this?
No — household items like wooden spoons, tubs, and pasta in containers work perfectly.

What comes after instrumental sounds in Phase 1?
Body percussion — clapping, stomping, tapping — which builds rhythm and prepares children for more complex phonics skills.

If this post made phonics feel a little easier to understand… Subscribe to our weekly blog series to get phonics activity ideas sent straight to your inbox.

If you found this post helpful, send it to a friend with a 3-5 year old.