DLTK's Countries and Cultures Crafts for Kids
Mexico Activities for Kids (including Cinco de Mayo)

As many of you know... I'm Canadian, not Mexican. One of our Mexican viewers wrote to us with some information about Mexican customs and holidays. Click here to read what Guadalupe had to say.

Mexicans have a celebration called Cinco de Mayo every May 5th (Cinco de Mayo means the fifth of May). Click here to learn more about the origins of Cinco de Mayo.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind this website is meant for children, so I do generalize and simplify quite a bit!

For a resource for North Americans (and others) to find out where they reside, please see this interactive map of Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages. A disclaimer from the project: "This map does not represent or intend to represent official or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations. To learn about definitive boundaries, contact the nations in question."

Mexico, a country in North America, is known for its delicious cuisine and rich culture. It is an important and interesting country for children to study.

image of the world famous Chichén Itzá in Yucatán, Mexico

Kulkukan's Pyramid, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico
Photographed by David Stanley; used with permission under C.C. BY 2.0

Mexico has no official language; however, the de facto official language is Spanish, and over 90% of the population speak Spanish. As of 2021, over 7 million Mexicans are indigenous language speakers. Nahuatl, Maya, Otomi, Mixteco, Zapoteco, Totonaco, Chol, and Mazateco are indigenous languages most commonly spoken on this land.

Mexico is a country found in the Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere of the globe. As of 2021, Mexico is divided into 32 political divisions (called states): Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur , Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, and Zacatecas.

Sharing a common border throughout its northern extent with the United States, Mexico is bounded to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize.

Capital city:  Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)
Language:  Spanish (de facto)
National Bird:  Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
National Dog:  Xoloitzcuintli (Canis lupus familiaris)
National Arthropod:  Chapulin (Sphenarium purpurascens)
National Feline:  Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)
National Flower:  Dahlia (Dahlia pinnata)
Currency:  Mexican Peso (MXN)

Mexico Activities:
	Mexican Recipes (my favorite thing about "Mexico themes" in our household is the food!)

	M-E-X-I-C-O Song (tune of B-I-N-G-O) - includes sheet music Fray Felipe (Brother Philip) Song La Casa Del Conejo (The Rabbit's House) Activity Song

	Day of the Dead Activities
Neat Facts: Home to the world’s largest pyramid, called Cholula! In addition to Spanish, there are 68 indigenous languages spoken, making Mexico a place with rich linguistic histories and cultures! Color TV was invented by Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena, born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico!
Mexico Printables:
	Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Printable Activities Mexican Animals Coloring Pages

	Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Printable Activities Mexican Money Information and Worksheets

	Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Printable Activities Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Coloring Pages, Posters and Tracer Pages

	Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Printable Activities Mexico Coloring Pages from Coloring.ws

	Printable Worksheets - Mexico and Cinco de Mayo themes Anagram Sudoku Word Mining Word Search
Famous ancient landmarks in Mexico include: Chichén Itzá Chichén Itzá is the name for the site of a massive ancient Mayan pyramid, called Kulkukan's Pyramid, in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Chichén Itzá is one of Earth's most-visited archaeological site! The Mayan pyramid was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. The name "Chichén Itzá" refers to "Chichén," meaning "mouth of wells," and Itzá, referring to a Mayan nation in this region of what is now known as Yucatan, Mexico. Within the walls of this massive pyramid actually sit two smaller pyramids in size; one is approximately 20 m and the other is 10 m. Monte Albán For 13 centuries, Mont Albán is the name of the ancient site of the largest and prominent city in Oaxaca, home to the Zapotecs and then the Mixtecs. The geography surrounding Mont Albán was suitable for the Zapotecs who built the site with the distinct purpose of protection from invasion; points in the city allow for full views of the surrounding landscape. Archaeological finds are still being located here; pyramids, castles, and housing complexes are archaeological finds located here. Mont Albán is considered to be North America's first planned city, built in 50 B.C.E. Zona Arqueológica Palenque (Lakamha) The ancient Mayan city of Lakamha (or "Big Water") was constructed as early as 500 B.C.E. and has what are called "low-relief" carvings out of limestone found in the surrounding environment Lakamha is famous for some of the most intricate and naturalistic portraits of ancient Maya art and cultures. The city is said by historians and archaeologists to have flourished between c. 600 and 750 C.E It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Mexico Crafts:
	All About Mexico Quilt Paper Craft Grade school and up

	Animals of Mexico a wide variety of crafts and coloring pages

	Aztec (Mexican) Pottery

	Bean Bracelets Kindergarten and grade school

	Bird Rattle (Parrot or Macaw) Kindergarten and grade school

	Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Crafts for Kids Dora the Explorer

	Hot Pepper Paper Craft preschoolers and up

	Ichardo I Alphabuddy preschoolers and up

	Lucha Libre Wrestler Paper Doll Craft preschoolers and up

	Lucha Libre Wrestler Toilet Paper Roll Craft preschool and kindergarten

	Maracas Grade school and up

	Mariachi Paper Doll Craft preschoolers and up

	Mariachi Toilet Paper Roll Craft preschool and kindergarten

	Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Crafts Navidad

	Ojo de Dios (God's Eyes) Kindergarten and grade school

	Papel Cortado Age 3+ (must be able to use scissors)

	Pinata - Super Simple Version use yellow, red and green to make it more "Mexican flag themed" preschool and kindergarten

	Pinatas preschool and kindergarten

	Place Mats Kindergarten and grade school

	Shrinky Dinks Grade school and up great for making keychains or necklaces

	Sombrero (newspaper) Kindergarten and grade school

	Sun Connect the Dots

	Sun Handprint Craft

	Tissue Flowers for your Hair preschool and kindergarten

	Tissue Flowers and Vase Elementary school and up colorful paper flower making is a Mexican art form.
Other Mexico Activities:
	Other Mexico and Cinco de Mayo Activities Online Jigsaw Puzzles

Neat Facts:

Famous ancient landmarks in Mexico include: