Although it is not a hugely celebrated holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is popularly known in America as a day to commemorate Mexican heritage and culture. On May 5, 1862 the Mexican army won against France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.
The battle lasted less than a day, with the French losing around 500 people, while the Mexicans lost less than 100 people.
Cinco de Mayo is primarily celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla. They celebrate with military parades, and reenactments of the famed battle. However, this day is not considered a holiday in other parts of the country.
In the US, the larger celebrations for Cinco de Mayo take place in cities with large Mexican-American populations, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
There are festivals featuring mariachi bands, celebrating authentic dress, and real Mexican food such as pozole and tamales. It is not just about getting your taco and margarita fix!
You can find appropriate Cinco de Mayo activities for people of all ages. Whether it be learning to do Mexican folk dancing or finding cheerful Cinco de Mayo crafts to work on, there is fun for everyone!
You can spot a Cinco de Mayo celebration by the brightly colored decorations, and many of these can be made as an arts and crafts project at home. Art projects are a fabulous way to bring the family, or your students together to create something fun, and explore new ideas.
Cinco De Mayo Crafts For Preschoolers
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In planning Cinco de Mayo activities for preschoolers, it is important to focus on projects that engage all of the senses. Toddlers learn by smelling, seeing, feeling, and tasting the world around them. Engaging with the tactile senses is how little brains develop cognitive skills. All Pre-k and kindergarten classes have a sensory center, or sensory bin. Exploring through touch is a vital way for toddlers to learn.
Cinco de Mayo offers many opportunities to make this celebration palpable for little ones. Making playdough is an easy way for kids to experience infinite learning, while having fun. For this holiday you can make cinnamon scented playdough, and teach the kids about its use in Mexican cuisine. Cinnamon is used in both sweet and savory dishes, from horchata to mole; this floral warm spice will engage your toddler’s noses and even taste buds (for the more daring kids!) |
Playdough is fun to make, and will teach children to feel self-sufficient, but it also provides myriad ways to be creative once it is mixed. As children concentrate on creating whatever shapes their minds come up with, there are strong calming effects as their fingers dig and push in the soft molding dough.
In addition to playdough, we would be remiss not to mention slime. What kindergartener doesn’t adore the squishy melty goo that adults can’t stand to clean up? There is a reason slime is so loved by children; stretching that slime is an incredibly relaxing form of play that can help children’s brains self-regulate. Learning emotional regulation at any age is imperative, and it is never too early to tune our children into this. To make slime for Cinco de Mayo, you can do a Mexican flag themed color scheme. This is a great opportunity to teach about the Mexican Flag, and also to teach about colors!
Whether you decide to go with playdough, or slime, medium weight chipboard is perfect to make festive molds for this holiday. Think playdough chili peppers, or slime cactus; the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
Cinco De Mayo Crafts For Kids
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Children’s crafts can get messy, and sometimes messy is the best way to learn. A Cascarón is a brightly colored egg filled with confetti or rice, and your elementary students or family will definitely have a great time cracking these all over the place. These confetti eggs originated in Spain, where disappointed fathers would crack an egg over their misbehaving children’s heads.
Learning about cascarones is a great time to explore children’s moral compasses. Talking about polite behaviors and positive ways to seek attention always makes for a great discussion point. To make confetti eggs, first you poke a hole in the bottom with a pin, and a larger hole on top to blow the contents of the eggs out. Make scrambled eggs, and add some chili peppers to go with the theme! There are a few ways to dye and paint the egg shells which can all be found online. The easiest way is to boil with food coloring and vinegar. |
Once the eggs are beautiful and dry, it is time to really work those children’s fine motor skills! Get all your scissors, and confetti supplies ready because we have so many colorful cardstock and colored parchment paper options to choose from. The children will love exercising their little fingers to cut up confetti. Nothing says Cinco de Mayo more than colorful smashed egg shells and shreds of bright paper strewn around the yard!
Cinco De Mayo Crafts For Teens
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Cartoneria is a category of arts devoted to paper and cardboard crafts in Mexico. One of the most famous traditional cartoneria is the piñata. Formerly associated with religious customs, piñatas or candy filled containers to be broken were first seen in Europe in the 14th century. Throughout the generations, piñatas had different contents, and different looks on the outside. The piñata is a very treasured tradition in Mexico. In order to commemorate its beauty, in 2007 the Museo de Arte Popular started an annual piñata making contest. Prizes of up to 15,000 pesos were won.
A piñata can be designed to resemble just about anything, and can be filled with whatever your heart desires, from fresh fruit to little toys. Making a piñata can be a very artistic experience for teens who are into DIY. After their hard labor, they can enjoy blindly (with a blindfold) beating their creation with a stick, until it breaks and showers them with treats. |
Papier Mache can be a complicated way to assemble the piñata; chipboard has the perfect texture and sturdiness to create a solid body for the piñata. You can choose to go the traditional route and make a donkey shape, or make things modern with a funky cactus shape. Pastel color paper or colored parchment is perfect for decorating the outside of the piñata.
Cinco De Mayo Crafts For Adults
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When thinking about Cinco de Mayo activities for adults, drinking margaritas and eating delicious homemade Mexican food comes to mind. You will want to create a bright and cheerful atmosphere for your gathering, and nothing says hola like handmade festive decorations!
You worked hard to cook and create those authentic edible offerings, why not beautifully display your menu on chipboard? And don’t waste all those empty cerveza bottles? Turn them into rustic looking vases with colorful paper flowers from colorful cardstock! Don’t forget to make vibrant piñata napkin rings that will liven up your table, all you need is colorful parchment and chipboard! If Mexican folk art excites you, purchase colorful parchment to create a papel picado banner. Papel picado, or perforated paper are handmade banners that are hung during festive times in Mexico. With a scissor and a little imagination you can make cut-outs galore and hang these eye-catching creations around your fiesta. |
Papel picado is traditionally associated with wind, because it is made with light paper and it moves easily. This is also symbolic of announcing family and friend arrivals.
Cinco de Mayo has so much to offer by way of crafts, and you don’t need to have fancy supplies!