Fun Cinco de Mayo Activities for Kids

Get ready to celebrate Mexican culture with educational and fun Cinco de Mayo activities for kids! With crafts, games, and food, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Make this Cinco de Mayo a memorable experience for your family with engaging and fun activities for kids that celebrate Mexican traditions.

Get creative with DIY piñatas, colorful papel picado, and taco crafts. Go on a scavenger hunt, read books, and watch videos. Whip up delicious Mexican treats like guacamole, salsa, tacos, and tres leches cake.

These educational and fun Cinco de Mayo activities are perfect for entertaining and educating kids of all ages. Let the festivities begin!

What is Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, which translates to "Fifth of May" in Spanish, is the day that commemorates Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not widely celebrated in Mexico as a holiday. However, it has gained significant popularity in the United States as a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.

Cinco de Mayo is not the same as Mexico's Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16.

Cinco de Mayo books and videos for kids

One way to educate your children about the history and significance of Cinco de Mayo is through books and educational videos.

There are several children's books that explore the holiday's origins and provide cultural context. Reading these books together can spark meaningful conversations and deepen their understanding of Mexican history and heritage.

Additionally, online resources such as videos and interactive websites are available to learn about Mexican culture. These resources often include virtual tours of Mexican landmarks.

Go on a virtual tour of Mexico to explore its rich history, geography, and landmarks. Visit famous sites like the Chichen Itza ruins, the beaches of Cancun, or the bustling streets of Mexico City through online videos, interactive maps, and virtual reality experiences.

These educational videos bring the vibrant culture of Mexico to life from the comfort of your home.

Mexican dance party

While you’re searching the internet for videos, you can also introduce your kids to traditional Mexican music and dance. Teach them some basic salsa steps and have a mini dance party at home.

Play lively Mexican music and encourage them to let loose and have fun with the movements. Dancing is a great way for children to express themselves and embrace different cultures.

Cinco de Mayo coloring pages and printable activities

If you're looking for quieter activities to engage your children, printable worksheets like Cinco de Mayo word search, dot to dot, and crossword puzzles can challenge their problem-solving skills and expand their knowledge of Mexican traditions.

These free Cinco de Mayo coloring pages and printable activities feature traditional Mexican symbols, such as sombreros, maracas, and cacti. The worksheets for kids develop fine motor skills and offer a fun and educational way to learn about Mexican culture.

Scavenger hunt

A Cinco de Mayo scavenger hunt is a fun activitiy to introduce children to Mexican culture as they search and find the words hidden around the room. Once they find the cards, they write the words on their Cinco de Mayo worksheet.

We also use the cards to play a memory-style game and matching words to pictures. Finally, I have them practice arranging and writing the Cinco de Mayo words in alphabetical order.

Piñata for Cinco de Mayo

My kids ask to make piñatas for Cinco de Mayo every year. I’m not sure if they have more fun making them, filling them with treats, or breaking them open. You can buy a piñata from the store, but we enjoy making ours out of paper mache, using a balloon, newspaper, and colorful crepe paper.

The downside to making a paper mache piñata is it takes a few days for it to fully dry. If you don’t want to wait for paper mache to dry, but still want to make a piñata, you can make one out of cardboard using glue or tape. Choose the shape you want to make and cut two identical pieces out of cardboard. Then, cut strips of carboard and tape them around your shape.

In my opinion, cardboard pinatas are easier to make, however they are a bit harder to break open. This is fine, and sometimes preferred, if you have older children. To make a carboard pinata easier to open, leave large gaps between the pieces of tape.

Kids can then fill the piñatas with treats and enjoy the excitement of breaking them open during the festivities. Hang a piñata from a tree branch, blindfold the participants, and let them take turns trying to break it open with a stick or bat. This game is not only fun but also teaches children about the importance of perseverance, teamwork, and sharing.

Papel Picado Cinco de Mayo Crafts for Kids

Another creative activity is making papel picado, or Mexican perforated paper banners, which are used in many Mexican festivities. The process to make papel picado is easy and similar to making paper snowflakes in the winter.

Supplies needed to make papel picado:

• Tissue paper – any color

• Scissors – to cut out shapes

• String – to hang up banner

• Tape – to attach banner to string

One of our favorite parts of making papel picado is discovering the designs we create. The cuts are always different, so the designs are different. Try folding the paper into different shapes as well as cutting out different shapes. There’s no wrong way to do it.

How to make papel picado:

1. Cut one piece of tissue paper into four equal pieces. You can fold the full sheet in half two times to see where to cut.

2. Fold the paper in half from right to left (seam on right).

3. Fold the paper in half from top to bottom (seam on top).

4. Fold the bottom right corner to the top left corner to make a triangle.

5. Fold the top in half to make a smaller triangle.

6. Use scissors to cut out small shapes.

7. Open the paper up to see your design.

8. Attach your designs to a string using tape or staples.

Be sure to hang these colorful banners up around your home for a festive touch to your Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Taco craft

My children love tacos and this easy Cinco de Mayo craft for kids gets them to practice cutting with large shapes and outlines as they cut out taco toppings. Then, they glue the taco toppings inside the tortilla shell to make their own taco craft. Kids can decorate their tacos any way they like.

Cinco de Mayo party food for kids

What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with delicious Mexican food? Get your kids involved in the kitchen and cook up some delicious Mexican dishes with these kid-friendly recipes.

Appetizer

Two popular Mexican-inspired snacks are guacamole and salsa. You can buy both of these pre-made at the store, but they are also easy to make at home from scratch.

Show your kids how to mash avocados and mix them with lime juice, diced tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. They can have fun customizing their own guacamole with their preferred level of spiciness.

Our favorite guacamole recipe:

• 3 avocados

• 1 lime, juiced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced

• 3 T chopped cilantro or parsley

• 1/4 cup diced onion (optional)

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Step 1: Mash the avocados, lime juice, and salt together.

Step 2: Mix in the other ingredients.

Step 3: Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Main Dish

Tacos are always a crowd pleaser in my family. My husband likes beef tacos, but my kids prefer these ground chicken tacos. Set up a taco bar with various toppings, such as chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. Let your children assemble their own tacos and encourage them to try different combinations and flavors.

Dessert

My daughter and I make the traditional Mexican dessert tres leches cake, or three milks cake together. Everyone looks forward this moist, creamy dessert every year.

Preparing food is a life-long skill, and Cinco de Mayo is the perfect time to teach your kids how to make and enjoy Mexican food.

Celebrate with fun Cinco de Mayo activities for kids

Embark on a journey of discovery as you learn about Mexico and celebrate Mexican culture with these educational and fun Cinco de Mayo activities for kids.

Engage children in hands-on activities that celebrate Mexican culture. From making crafts like piñatas and papel picado to coloring pages and puzzles, there are endless fun Cinco de Mayo activities for kids to explore.