Unleash the fiesta spirit! Cinco de Mayo presents a vibrant opportunity to explore Mexican culture with your child. It’s more than just sombreros and mustaches; it’s a chance to spark curiosity about history, traditions, and of course, delicious food.
These engaging activities will transform your home into a mini-fiesta, fostering creativity, cultural awareness, and pure fun for you and your little scholar.
cinco de mayo activities for kids and preschoolers
Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate Mexican culture! These 10 easy and exciting activities introduce your child to Mexican traditions in a fun and interactive way. ¡Olé!
Activity 1: Shake Your Maracas
Age Group: 2-8 years old
Materials: Small containers (like plastic bottles or cans), beans or rice, tape, markers (optional)
How to Perform: Make your own music! Decorate small containers with markers (optional). Fill them with beans or rice and seal them with tape. Shake your homemade maracas and listen to the lively sound!
Area of Development:* Creativity, Fine motor skills, Music exploration
Activity 2: Vamos de Fiesta! (Let’s Party!)
Age Group: All ages
Materials: Music player, colorful streamers (or toilet paper!), space to dance
How to Perform: Get ready to move and groove! Put on some festive Mexican music and decorate your space with colorful streamers or toilet paper. Dance around the room with your child and celebrate the fiesta!
Area of Development: Gross motor skills, Music appreciation, Cultural exploration
Activity 3: Guacamole Grande!
Age Group: 5-8 years old (with adult supervision)
Materials: 1 ripe avocado, mashed, 1 tablespoon of chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (a few drops for younger children), salt to taste, tortilla chips
How to Perform: Make yummy guacamole! Mash a ripe avocado in a bowl. Add chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt (to taste). Let your child help you mix the ingredients and enjoy this classic Mexican dip with tortilla chips! (Adult supervision recommended for cutting and preparing food).
Area of Development: Fine motor skills, Simple food preparation, Following directions
Activity 4: Piñata Power!
Age Group: 3-8 years old (with adult supervision)
Materials: Paper bag, candy or small toys, colorful streamers (or crepe paper), string
How to Perform: Make your own piñata! Fill a paper bag with candy or small toys. Close the bag and decorate it with colorful streamers or crepe paper. Hang the piñata securely from a sturdy branch or support (with adult help). Blindfold your child (with a safe, soft cloth) and take turns swinging a stick to try to break open the piñata and collect the treats inside! (Adult supervision recommended throughout this activity).
Area of Development: Gross motor skills, Taking turns, Following directions
Activity 5: Craft Your Own Serape
Age Group: 4-8 years old
Materials: Large piece of construction paper, colorful markers, crayons, or paint, scissors (adult supervision recommended)
How to Perform: Design a festive serape! A serape is a traditional Mexican poncho. Give your child a large piece of construction paper and let them decorate it with colorful markers, crayons, or paint. They can draw stripes, patterns, or pictures to create their own unique serape design. (Adult supervision recommended for cutting with scissors).
Area of Development: Creativity, Fine motor skills, Cultural exploration
Activity 6: ¡Hola! Greeting Time
Age Group: 2-8 years old
Materials: Pictures of people greeting each other (cut from magazines or printed from the internet)
How to Perform: Learn some Spanish greetings! Find pictures of people shaking hands, hugging, or waving. Show them to your child and explain that these are ways to greet people in Spanish. You can use simple phrases like “Hola” (hello), “Adiós” (goodbye), and “Gracias” (thank you).
Area of Development: Cultural exploration, Language development, Social interaction
Activity 7: Folded Fun: Sombrero Time
Age Group: 3-8 years old
Materials: Construction paper (large sheets in black and brown), scissors (adult supervision recommended), glue stick, markers (optional)
How to Perform: Make your own sombrero! Cut a large circle from black construction paper for the brim of the sombrero. Cut a smaller circle from brown construction paper for the top. Cut a wedge out of the brown circle to create the cone shape of the sombrero. Roll the wedge into a cone and glue the edges together. Glue the brown cone to the center of the black circle for the brim. Decorate your sombrero with markers (optional).
Area of Development: Creativity, Fine motor skills, Following directions
Activity 8: Mexican Bingo!
Age Group: 4-8 years old
Materials: Construction paper, markers, crayons, small objects (beans, buttons, etc.)
How to Perform: Create a fun game of Mexican Bingo! Draw a bingo board on construction paper with squares. Fill the squares with pictures or words related to Cinco de Mayo, such as a sombrero, maracas, cactus, or Mexican flag. You can make multiple bingo boards so the whole family can play. Collect small objects like beans or buttons to use as markers. Call out the pictures or words on the bingo board and let your child cover the matching squares. The first one to get a full row or diagonal wins!
Area of Development: Vocabulary development, Matching skills, Visual recognition
Activity 9: Dance the Folklorico
Age Group: All ages
Materials: Music player, internet access (optional)
How to Perform: Move to the music! Folklorico is a traditional Mexican dance style with vibrant costumes and lively music. Search online for videos of Folklorico dancing (optional) or simply put on some festive Mexican music. Encourage your child to move and groove to the music, imitating the twirling skirts and stomping steps they might see in the videos.
Area of Development: Gross motor skills, Music appreciation, Cultural exploration
Activity 10: Story Time Fiesta
Age Group: All ages
Materials: Children’s book about Mexican culture
How to Perform: Cuddle up for a good book! Find a cozy spot and curl up with your child to read a story about Mexican culture. There are many wonderful children’s books available that explore Mexican traditions, folktales, and holidays. Reading together is a relaxing way to bond with your child and learn more about Mexico!
Area of Development: Language development, Cultural exploration, Bonding with caregiver
Conclusion
By incorporating these playful activities, you’ve not only painted your home with the colors of Mexico, but you’ve also planted a seed of cultural appreciation in your child’s mind. So crank up the music, whip up some guacamole, and ¡Olé! to a delightful Cinco de Mayo celebration.