Children love singing bowls. I can make that statement unequivocally having played bowls for many of them and having raised a daughter with singing bowls all over the house. You can see her drawing, done decades ago when she was still quite young, that graced the cover of a homemade card for me.

How to choose a singing bowl for a child

So what kind of bowl is best for kids? First of all higher tones – upper 4th or even better 5th octave. Those higher sounds vibrate in children’s happiness zone. The next suggestion might seem a bit odd but I would suggest going for a higher level of sonic coherence, premium sound. The reason for this is, like so many things in a child’s environment, the bowls will be teachers. Exposing the child to deeper harmonies, I believe, will sensitize them to subtle harmonies elsewhere.

Some people just play singing bowls for children. If so you have a wider latitude of choices including heavier large bowls and collector’s items.

For others they become a sturdy and wondrous toy. The easiest to strike bowls are Thadobati and Remuna with their tall straight sides. In these styles the higher notes are already smaller bowls under 5 inches so easy to handle

If you find an exact bowl or sound you like on the website, great. However the selection of great kid bowls is limited and I would suggest having us pick an appropriate bowl for you. Premium quality higher tone bowls will cost a bit over $100. The small special can also work for $69.95, however then you’ll have a lower tone with less coherence.

Cautions for children with singing bowls

Singing bowls are pretty tough, especially smaller somewhat thicker ones.  Still drop a bowl on a really hard surface like stone or throw it around and it can crack.

A more important caution, especially for the very young has to do with what the bowls are made from. If the child is hands on, you want to be sure that they do not put the bowl in their mouth as all singing bowls are mostly copper.  Copper is an essential nutrient, however absorbing too much copper can move the body out of proper mineral balance, especially with zinc. If the child plays with the bowl a lot, handling it, I would make sure their hands are washed before eating anything. Precautions about handling antique singing bowls (or things like pennies or a copper zabaglione bowl) are not relevant to adults due to their size (and hopefully hygiene) compared to that of a two year old.