Natural Skin Wooden Tambourine for Children

What is a tambourine?

A tambourine is a small hand drum: a round frame with a skin stretched over one side and pairs of metal discs, the jingles, set into the rim. Among percussion instruments, the tambourine is one of the easiest for a young child, because it sounds as soon as it is tapped or shaken.

The name comes from the French tambourin, a little drum, and you will sometimes see it spelt tamborine.

Three sounds from one hoop

A light patter of fingertips on the skin gives a soft, dry sound. A flat palm in the centre makes a deeper thud, and a shake sets the jingles ringing. Children soon notice that a tap near the rim sounds lighter and brighter than one in the middle, and they start choosing the sound they want.

A game to try together: sing a nursery rhyme and tap once on every beat, then shake the tambourine only on the chorus. Marching round the room while playing comes next, all on its own.

Small or large: which size to choose

The small tambourine, 10.5 cm across and 120 g, sits comfortably in a three-year-old's hand and is easy to hold by the rim while shaking. The large one, 20 cm across and 160 g, offers a wider skin with a fuller sound when struck, and suits older children or playing together with an adult.

Natural skin reacts to damp and heat: store the tambourine away from radiators and steamy bathrooms and it keeps its tone. Add maracas or castanets from our musical instruments for children, it makes a small home band, and it sits happily alongside other Montessori toys on a low shelf.

Characteristics

• Age: from 3 years
• Sizes: small or large
• Small: 4.7 cm deep, 10.5 cm in diameter, 120 g
• Large: 4.6 cm deep, 20 cm in diameter, 160 g
• Wooden hoop, natural skin head, metal jingles
• 2-year guarantee

Warning: Small parts.