Sing along while playing!
Make a simple rubber band guitar from a cardboard box and rubber bands, learn basic chords, and sing along while playing and exploring sound.
Step-by-step guide to sing along while playing (make a cardboard rubber band guitar)
Step 1
Gather your materials and put them on a clear table so everything is easy to reach.
Step 2
Ask an adult to help you cut a rectangular sound hole in the top center of the box.
Step 3
Stretch several rubber bands around the box so they run across the sound hole like strings.
Step 4
Slide a pencil under the rubber bands near one end of the box to act as a bridge.
Step 5
Use the marker to write numbers 1 2 3 4 next to each rubber band so you can tell them apart.
Step 6
Draw a single small fret line across the top of the box about halfway between the bridge and the end with the bands.
Step 7
Pluck each rubber band one at a time and listen to how each one sounds.
Step 8
Press down on band 1 at the fret line to change its pitch and hold it there.
Step 9
Pluck bands 1 and 2 together to hear a simple two-string chord.
Step 10
Press down on band 2 at the fret line to change its pitch and hold it there.
Step 11
Pluck bands 1 2 and 3 together to hear a fuller three-string chord.
Step 12
Practice steady down-strum motions across all the bands to find a rhythm you like.
Step 13
Sing a short song you know while you strum the steady rhythm and switch between the chords you learned.
Step 14
Share a photo or short description of your rubber band guitar and how you played it on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use if I can't find a cardboard box, rubber bands, or a pencil for the bridge?
Use a sturdy shoebox or cereal box instead of the cardboard box, elastic hair ties or cut strips from a balloon in place of rubber bands, and a wooden dowel, chopstick, or thick marker body instead of the pencil for the bridge.
My rubber band guitar sounds quiet or pressing at the fret doesn't change pitch—what should I check?
Make sure the rubber bands are stretched tight across the sound hole, the pencil bridge is slid under the bands near one end as instructed, and the fret line is drawn about halfway between the bridge and the end with the bands so pressing at the fret changes pitch.
How can I adapt this activity for younger children or older kids who want a challenge?
For younger children, have an adult cut the sound hole, use just two rubber bands and focus on plucking and singing, while older kids can add more rubber bands, draw extra fret lines, and experiment with moving the pencil bridge to create different chords.
How can we personalize or extend the rubber band guitar after we finish the basic steps?
Decorate and label the box and bands with the marker, add extra fret lines or a second pencil bridge for new sounds, record your strumming while you sing, and share a photo or description on DIY.org as suggested in the last step.
Watch videos on how to sing along while playing (cardboard rubber band guitar and basic chords)
Shaker songs for Preschoolers: Play on your Instruments
4 Videos
Shaker songs for Preschoolers: Play on your Instruments
Play GUITAR and SING Easily
I Can Play on the Beat - Instrument Song for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kindergarteners
Play it Right. Best Instrument Song for Preschoolers from kindyRock - great songs for kids!
Facts about DIY musical instruments
🎸 A cardboard box and a few rubber bands can make a real musical instrument because the box acts as a resonator to amplify string vibrations.
📦 Cardboard is a lightweight, easy-to-work-with resonant material, which is why it's popular for homemade instruments and crafts.
🧪 Making a rubber band guitar is a mini science lesson: it teaches vibration, tension, resonance, and how sound waves change with length and tightness.
🎵 Tightening a rubber band raises its pitch — the same principle used when tuning real guitar strings.
🎶 You can play hundreds of songs with just three simple chords (the I–IV–V progression) — perfect for sing-alongs!
How do you make and play a simple rubber band guitar for kids to sing along?
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