May 3, 2022 by Sofía Godoy Spanish for Kids 0 comments

9 Traditional Cinco de Mayo Activities for Kids Learning Spanish

Are you ready to celebrate Cinco de mayo while learning Spanish?

This unique festivity is a staple of colorful traditions, history, and rich Mexican culture. Whether you’re a fan of freshly made tacos or piñatas, celebrating Cinco de mayo is fun for kids and adults alike.

Partaking in Cinco de mayo activities is common in the United States. Some say it’s even more popular than in Mexico!

It’s an ideal opportunity to introduce language immersion to your Spanish classroom and spice up your lessons with a bit of Mexican folklore.

Read this inspirational blog post to discover nine traditional Cinco de mayo activities for young Spanish students. You’ll find creative games, Mexican recipes, and DIY crafts for making the most of this memorable holiday!

¡Que empiece la celebración!
Let the celebration begin!

The Story Behind Cinco de Mayo

In Mexico and the U.S., people celebrate traditional Cinco de mayo activities each year on May 5. The holiday honors the Mexican army’s defeat of French forces in La batalla de Puebla (the battle of Puebla).

On May 5, 1862, Mexican forces engaged in a historical battle with the French military seeking to occupy Mexico City. The fight took place in the state of Puebla, a few hours from the capital. The French were highly prepared and outnumbered the Mexicans.

Nonetheless, courageous Mexican troops led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, stood their ground and defeated the French. Eventually, France did take control of Mexico City. However, the occupation lasted only a few years.

Traditional Cinco de mayo activities commemorate the bravery and resistance of Mexico. Mexicans living in California first celebrated the holiday. It gained popularity in the 1960s and has now evolved to the Cinco de mayo we love today.

9 Traditional Cinco de Mayo Activities for Your Spanish Classroom

Get creative and plan a fun and educational Spanish lesson with unique Mexican traditions. These traditional Cinco de mayo activities teach students about Mexican culture, history, and Spanish vocabulary.

1. Mexican Lotería

Play a game of Lotería with your students! Lotería is a traditional Mexican game for people of all ages. It’s similar to Bingo. It’s popular and beloved in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

It’s an illustrated game where every student has a carton of 4 by 4 cards to complete. Players will use uncooked frijoles (beans) to mark the cards as you call them out. The first player to complete a carton calls out “¡Lotería!” and wins the game.

Each of the cards is representative of Mexican culture. It has many vocabulary words for your students to learn and practice in conversation. It requires your students to concentrate and be quick.

Buy your own Lotería game for less than $10.

Make your Spanish classroom more fun with these 8 traditional Hispanic games.

2. DIY Taco Truck

Delicious food is an unbeatable way to celebrate Mexican culture. Eating Mexican cuisine is a tasty Cinco de mayo activity to enjoy at home or in class.

Set and decorate the table with Mexican papel picado. Gather the taco ingredients. Here are some ideas:

tortillas de maíz – corn tortillas
queso – cheese
cilantro y cebolla – cilantro and onion
aguacate – avocado

Make Spanish labels for each ingredient and put them on separate containers. Each student will make a taco trio using the ingredients on the table. Have them draw and name their very own special taco truck.

Have each student present their taco truck and share their taco recipes with the rest of the class. Make this a unique Cinco de mayo activity where your students can practice conversation while tasting Mexican flavors.

3. Make a Piñata

Piñatas are a colorful part of any Mexican celebration. Kids love them and using them as a Cinco de mayo activity will get them excited with Spanish class.

Create your own Mexican piñata following the instructions on this practical Spanish video. It’s a fantastic opportunity for your student’s creativity to soar and add lots of bright colors!

Once it’s finished, you’ll fill the piñata with:

dulces – candy
chocolate – chocolate
premios – prizes
juguetes – toys

Hang the piñata in an open space and let the kids break it open. Combine this activity with pop quiz questions where the students who answer correctly get an extra hit at the piñata.

Check out: The Most Fascinating Facts About the Latin American Piñata

4. Make Alebrijes

Los alebrijes are colorful surreal creatures made from bodies of at least two different animals. You may remember them from the movie Coco.

These fantastical beings are an important part of Mexican folk art and are believed to come from dreams. Alebrijes come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Their physique is unusual and doesn’t always add up, something that makes them extra special.

As a Cinco de mayo activity, have your students create their own alebrije using play-doh, construction paper, acrylic paint, and any other art supplies.

Creating an alebrije is a fun, creative, and versatile activity. Make it a vocabulary lesson on vertebrate animals in Spanish or teach opposites for kids in Spanish.

5. Cook a Mexican Dessert

Once again Mexican food makes it into this list as part of the top traditional Cinco de mayo activities. Making a Mexican dessert is a sweet way to join the festivities. Source the ingredients and follow the recipes in Spanish step-by-step with your students.

Take it as an opportunity to practice Spanish cooking vocabulary and discover sweet Mexican flavors in class.

Here are two simple recipes to follow:

Como hacer flan de caramelo – How to make caramel flan
Como hacer pastel tres leches – How to make three milks cake

6. Cinco de Mayo Videos

Spanish videos are excellent learning resources for visual learners that support Spanish listening, pronunciation, and conversation. Here are some for you to use in class:

Batalla de Puebla para niños – The Battle of Puebla for Kids
Cinco de Mayo: 10 Hechos Interesantes para Niños – Cinco de Mayo: 10 Interesting Facts for Kids)

7. Luchador Mask Art Project

La lucha libre Mexicana (Mexican wrestling) attracts tourists from all over the world. Luchadores (wrestlers) have become a curious and interesting symbol of Mexico.

Make a Mexican luchador mask as an arts and crafts Cinco de mayo activity for your students. Use a free template, old magazines, acrylic paint, and construction paper.

Luchador Masks — Wall of luchador masks | © Gavin St. Ours/Flickr

Have students design their own mask and describe their newly created luchador mask in Spanish.

8. Cinco de Mayo I Spy

Play a fun game of I Spy in Spanish class. Look for displays of Cinco de mayo decor, food, and elements of Mexican culture. Here are some ideas to include in the game.

sombreros
tacos
papel picado
maracas
piñatas
mariachi
dulces

9. Mexican Story Time

Books are an effective way to enhance your child’s Spanish skills. Reading stories in Spanish supports their contextualizing ability, pronunciation, writing, and intuitive use of vocabulary.

Make reading a Mexican Spanish story a part of your classroom traditional Cinco de mayo activities. Choose titles from this captivating list of 12 Mexican children’s books.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With a Spanish Lesson

These traditional Cinco de mayo activities will have your Spanish students excited for this Mexican celebration.

Practicing conversation with a native speaker is an effective way to improve your child’s confidence, and their dominance of Spanish expressions. Sign your child up for a free trial class with our certified teachers from Guatemala as another Cinco de mayo activity.

Our proven programs are available for students of all academic levels and come with efficient learning methods and strategies. Inquire about our pricing packages and discover what our team of experienced professionals do for you and your family.

Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these

“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”

– Cindy D, Parent of 3

“It’s great being able to interact with native speaking people and having a conversation with them not just doing all the work on paper. It’s also an amazing opportunity to speak with native Spanish-speaking people without having to travel to a native Spanish-speaking country.”

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“My Son, Heath, is taking the classes. He’s been with Luisa the entire time and we absolutely love her. She is always patient and is a great teacher. Heath’s dad speaks Spanish so they get to have little conversations.”

– William R, Parent of 3

Want more free Spanish lessons, fun content, and easy learning strategies for kids? Check these out!

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Sofía Godoy

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Native speaker of English and Spanish, I’m a sustainable travel and social impact entrepreneur who loves going to new places and meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds. I love spending time with my family and being outdoors with my dogs. Writing, communicating, and creating are my passions. I strongly believe there are more creative ways to solve the issues our world is facing and I like doing my part in any way I can.

9 Traditional Cinco de Mayo Activities for Kids Learning Spanish

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