Make a cereal box guitar

Making your own musical instruments is a fun craft project for kids. You can make a guitar out of a cereal box and a wrapping paper tube: don't forget to add six strings!

What you need:

• 1 small cereal box
• 1 wrapping paper tube
• 6 x 30cm pieces of string
• 3 popsicle sticks
• scissors or a craft knife
• glue
• masking tape
• a long piece of ribbon or string to use as a strap

Number of players:

Activity:

Seal up the top of your cereal box, glue it back in place so that both ends are closed.

Now trace around the base of the wrapping paper tube – one circle on each end of the box.

Cut out the circles at each end of the box.

On the main face of the cereal box, draw a large circle and cut it out.

Thread six strings across the guitar hole, tie knots to keep them in place.

Push the wrapping paper tube through the two holes at either end of the box. Leave most of the length poking out one side and about a 2.5cm edge at the other end (this will give you something to attach your strap to at the base end of the guitar.)

At the end of the long tube, use a craft knife to make three pairs of opposing slits in the tube. Push each popsicle stick through so that it sticks out evenly either side. These are the machine heads – the knobs of the guitar that tighten the strings.

Attach a strap to your guitar and you are ready to rock!

• Thanks to our sister company Kidspot Australia for creating the instructional video.