DIY Water Xylophone Activity – Sound Science Experiment for Kids

This simple DIY xylophone takes just a couple minutes to make with jars and water, but is a great sound activity! Use this water xylophone to help teach toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd graders about pitch with this easy sound experiment for kids. Plus this homemade xylophone is a really cool music activity for kids too!

Water Xylophone

Help kids explore how you can change the pitch of music as they play and explore with this fun sound activity! You and your children will make a water xylophone that actually works to play music or songs with just water and glasses. Whether you are a parent looking for a fun summer activity, a teacher looking for  sound experiments, or a homeschooler looking for clever music activities for kids – this is sure to delight and teach! This diy xylophone is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students too. So let’s make some music and learn about sound science in this STEM activity for kids.

Water xylophone experiment

All you need for this kitchen science experient (aptly named because you can find everything you need for this simpler kidnergarten science experiment in your kitchen) are the following materials:

• mason jars (or similar)
• water
• food coloring – optional, but handy for helping kids play music and visually see the difference in the notes
• spook or stick to make music

DIY Xylophone

Start off by filling various jars with different levels of water and invite your children to use their stick to gently tap on the jar. After they get over the exceitement of hearing different pitches of music, ask them was their a difference in the sound from each jar? The answer should be yes.

Sound Science for Kids

Have them expeirment to see what happens to the sound if you add more water? The more water in a jar the lower the sound it makes, the less water, the higher pitch the note is.

The reason the jars make music is because of the sound waves when you tap the jar with your stick. The impace creates a vibration, or sound wave that travel through the water. When you change the amount of water in the container, you also change the sound waves! Different sound waves have different sounds. The less the soudn wave travels the closer they are together and they sound higher. The more water, the longer it takes to complete the sound wave and the more spread out the waves look producing a lower sound.

Musical instrument science experiments

Try experimenting with the concept of sound science.

• Does striking the top versus the sides of the jars make a purer sound ?
• What if you use a chopstick or butterknife instead of a stick?

How to make a water xylophone

• Does using a different liquid change the results. (Hint: Different liquids have different densities and the sound waves will travel differently through them.) Try filling two jars with the same quantity of liquid, but different types such as water and corn syrup. Is their a differences?

How to make water xylophone

• You can use a piano or tuning app to adjust the water levels to match specific notes. Have your kids play some music.  We did this and made our xylophone one octive with notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Then we grabbed some xylophone music (my kids liked the color coded sheets) off the internet and played some simpel songs like Twinkle Twinkle and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Such a fun, hands-on STEM Science Activity for elementary age students!

Sound Activities for Kids

Looking for more fun and free printables and resources to teach kids music? Try these:

• FREE Music Theory Worksheets for kids to learn all about MUSIC
• Printable piano flashcards
• DIY Water Xylophone Activity – Sound Science Experiment for Kids
• Paper Plate Tambourine Musical Instrument Craft
• Super cute Piano practice sheets
• Musical Instruments Worksheets for kids to learn math and literacy skills while learning about instruments for kids
• Free Printable Music Flash cards
• Introduction to Music Theory for Kids printable book to read, color, and learn
• Free Music Notes Chart
• FUN Homemade Musical Instruments for kids
• Nature Noisemaker Music Activities for Preschoolers
• Create Music Instruments for Kids with these printable playdough mats!
• DIY Maracas Musical Instruments Crafts for Kids