One of the best parts of MiniMeter is watching a baby or toddler light up the first time they shake, tap, or strum something themselves. If you’re looking to bring a bit of that music-making home between classes, here are a few simple, well-loved options — no musical background required, for you or them.
A Toddler Instrument Set
A starter percussion set — a small tambourine, maracas, castanets, and similar hand percussion sized for little hands — is one of the easiest ways to let a baby or young toddler explore rhythm on their own terms. This Montessori Toddler Instrument Set is a nice all-in-one option that covers a few different sounds and textures in one bundle.
Egg Shakers
Simple, quiet, and endlessly grabbable — egg shakers are often the very first “instrument” a baby holds. Skip Hop Shakers come in a set, so there’s enough for the whole family (or a sibling) to shake along together, which tends to be half the fun at this age.
As with anything for this age, check the manufacturer’s age recommendation before buying.
A Floor Tom for Toddlers
Once a toddler is steady on their feet and drawn to banging on pots and pans, a real kid-sized drum is a natural next step. Remo’s kids’ floor tom is sized right for a toddler, durable enough for enthusiastic play, and a nice bridge toward the kind of instrument exploration we do in class.
A Starter Ukulele
For toddlers on the older end, or for a parent who wants to start learning alongside their child, a small soprano ukulele is genuinely one of the easiest instruments to pick up together. This starter ukulele bundle comes with the basics included, so there’s nothing extra to buy before you start strumming.
For New and Used Instruments: ReAnimated Music
For anything beyond the basics — a first real instrument, a used option to try before committing, or just expert advice in person — ReAnimated Music is a great local Seattle shop worth a visit. Buying local also means you can actually hold and hear an instrument before bringing it home, which matters more than it might seem for something a toddler’s going to be handling.
A Note on What You Actually Need
Worth saying plainly: none of this is required to get the most out of MiniMeter. Everything used in class is provided, and our approach has always been to recommend materials we genuinely love rather than build a checklist of things families feel obligated to buy. Consider this a list of fun options for continuing the music at home, not a shopping requirement.
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