Cinco de Mayo Crafts and Activities

Cinco de Mayo crafts and activities for young children, for the 5th of May.

However....

Fall is just around the corner when writing this, and with the cooler weather comes more inside time for the little ones. Naturally, they’re going to need something fun and creative to keep them busy. Help your kids prepare for Halloween by constructing these adorable craft projects! They’re easy and fun to make and the kiddos will love displaying them for the holiday.

Hope we haven't confused you, but certain craft projects once made can cover a whole host of events. Below we have how to make maracas from paper mache. They can then be used for Halloween, if made now. Then put away and repainted for Cinco de Mayo crafts.

Cinco de Mayo Crafts
Maracas of Paper Mache

This craft takes a few days, with full effort from you, but is great fun for the kids. The kids will love it when they are done because they will have their own musical instrument – Maracas!

Supplies List:

Newspaper strips
White glue
Small balloons (at least 1 per child – 2 if you want them to have 2 maracas each)
Clothes pins (the old-fashioned kind used to make dolls)
Brightly colored tempera or craft paints
Masking tape
Dried beans or peas

Supervise at all times, as small objects are being used. Or only use what you feel is age appropriate.

This one broke, so it was used for an Easter Egg instead.

On day 1, put a tablespoon of the beans or peas into the balloons and blow up until they are the size you want for your maracas. Tie the balloons and secure them to the clothes pin handle using the tape. Cover the entire handle (clothes pin) with the masking tape as well. Be sure the balloons are held to the clothes pin well by placing several layers of tape where it meets the clothes pin.

Now it’s time to start the paper Mache. You may want to make sure the children have old clothes or a paint smock on the day you do this activity. Mix the white glue with a little water in a bowl. Next, dip the newspaper strips into the mixture and place them all around each balloon covering it entirely. Repeat this step, giving the balloon two or three layers of newspaper. Once you finish, hang the maracas up to dry overnight.

On day 2, make sure your maracas are good and dry. If not, give them another day. Using a straight pin or a needle (teacher or parent, you’ll need to do this part and may want to do so before the children arrive in class, or are still in bed on day 2) poke a small hole into the maraca to pop the balloon. Only saying this as some small children are frightened by a pop. Personally mine love it, and found the anticipation really exciting. Now, the children can begin painting their maracas. Once they finish decorating, hang them to dry overnight again.

Tomorrow, their maracas will be completely dry and it’s time to shake ‘em, shake ‘em, shake ‘em. Have a parade for Cinco de Mayo or play some Spanish music and let them dance and use the maracas to keep the beat.

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