Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for 5th of May) is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated to commemorate the Mexican Army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Although this holiday is primarily celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla, it has become quite a popular day of celebration in the United States too. Cinco de Mayo is a festive holiday that is celebrated with fun parties, good food, and colorful costumes. There are many Mexican crafts you can make with your kids to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. You can make Mexican crafts to give as party favors at a child’s Cinco de Mayo party or you can make them as a way to teach your children a bit about the history of Cinco de Mayo.
The Mexican crafts in this article are all very simple to make and are good for young children. Most of these Mexican crafts use typical craft items that you probably already have around the house. Some of these crafts also require glue or paste and paint. I have some fun recipes to make your own glue or paint that you might like to use. You can see them here: How to Make Collage Glue, How to Make Decoupage Glue, 3 Paste Recipes: Thin Paste, Paper Paste, Classroom Paste, How to Make Poster Paint and Fat Paint: 2 Fun Crafts for Kids!, and Paint Recipes for Kids – Foamy Paint, Instant Finger Paint, Glossy Paint.
Cinco de Mayo Craft #1 – Maracas: These shakable maracas are very easy to make and are very decorative. All you need are two styrofoam cups and some craft supplies like paint and glue. You also can add decorative accents like pom poms or buttons like the instructions show, but you could always skip that step and just use colorful craft paint. You will also need dry beans to make the shaking sound. If you don’t have beans, you can use dry rice, dry peas or even small pebbles. If you want are worried that the dry beans could come out and are worried that a smaller child could find one you can always use cereal like Cherrios to make the shaking sound.
Cinco de Mayo Craft #2 – Mexican Bird Rattle: Paper mache rattles are a popular noisemaker in Mexico. This Mexican bird rattle makes a colorful noisemaker for Cinco de Mayo. There are two versions for this Mexican bird rattle. One is a quick and easy version that uses a printable template. The other is a more traditional version that is made using paper mache. Both versions require an empty toilet paper roll. The instructions are easy to follow and there is a graphic of the finished bird rattle to give you an idea of what it looks like. Of course, you can design your Mexican bird rattle any way you want!
Cinco de Mayo Craft #3: Paper Bag Poncho: Making a paper bag poncho is a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Not only are you making a fun craft, but you are making a Cinco de Mayo costume! If you have having a Cinco de Mayo party for children, you can have each child make their own paper bag poncho as a fun party activity. Then each child can take their paper bag poncho home as a party favor. This craft requires one large paper bag per child and common craft supplies like paint, crayons or markers. There are also instructions to make a fabric poncho which is a great Cinco de Mayo craft for older kids.
