Printable Cinco De Mayo Worksheets and Puzzles

Cinco De Mayo is celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican-American communities in remembrance of Mexico's victory at the Battle of Puebla (1862). It is primarily celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla. You have found a great place for worksheets and printables relating to Cinco De Mayo. Make sure to visit our Cinco De Mayo Lesson Plans and Cinco De Mayo Teaching Guide. You might also find a great bunch of teacher resources in The Month of May section.

Cinco De Mayo Worksheets

Cinco de Mayo Classroom Activities for Teachers

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated across the United States to honor Mexican culture and traditions. This festive time of the year is when people dress up in Mexican hats and play Mexican music. It's also that time of the year when you can eat a lot of tacos! Celebrating holidays that honor different cultures is essential, so students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom. There are many holiday centered activities for the classroom that you can easily implement.

The History

Most people celebrate this festival without knowing its true history. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico because it's the date when Mexico won against France in the 1800s. They managed to protect Puebla from being taken over by the French. This festival is celebrated more in the US than in Mexico itself.

How Is It Usually Celebrated?

Americans celebrate this festival with bands, folk music, mixed cuisine, and costumes. Mexicans in America can use the Cinco de Mayo parade as an opportunity to take pride in their culture. You can't have a parade inside a classroom, but here are some fun Cinco de Mayo activities for the classroom.

Fact Book

Have the students make a booklet with drawings representing different aspects of Mexican culture like hats, the banjo, and tacos. Then ask them to write facts about Cinco de Mayo in the booklet. In this way, they'll learn more about the actual history of the holiday and the difference between how it's celebrated in the US as compared to Mexico itself.

Tacos

Tacos are a necessary element of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and the best part is that they're super convenient to make in the classroom. All you need to do is spread out a table with different fillings and salsa. You can also use this opportunity to enhance your students' vocabulary by asking them to name each filling or even spell it out.

Arts and Craft

Mexican paper craft is unique because of how the paper is cut. Students can implement this by making particular cuts in the form of a pattern so that when the folded paper opens, it forms a string of repeating patterns. This string can then be hung up as holiday decorations for the classroom.

Making a Piñata

Everyone loves piñatas but did you know that piñatas originated from Spanish culture? You can make simple piñatas in class with paper bags. They can fill the bag with candies and decorate it after sealing it. After the piñata is ready, they can try breaking it open to release all the candies.

Mexican Hats

These colorful hats are one of the most prominent markers of Mexican culture. Students can make their own Mexican hats with decorative material, paper, and glue. There's a particular type of dance called the Mexican hat dance. They can even make Mexican instruments and perform this dance in class. It will make for an exciting Cinco de Mayo classroom activity.

Parade Floats

Many floats are part of Cinco de Mayo parades in Mexico. Making gigantic parade floats in the classroom is impossible, but students can make a miniature version of the floats by recycling old objects. For example, cardboard boxes can be recycled to make a parade float. These floats can then be displayed for the whole class to see and appreciate.

New Vocabulary

You can use this festival as an opportunity to teach children new vocabulary in two different languages. They can play a type of card game with different printed cards that have pictures of Mexican objects. As the teacher, you can read out the names of these objects and have the students try to connect them to the pictures that they're holding in their hands. This is an effective way to teach them new words in English and Spanish and connect them to visuals.

Lottery Game

You can hand out customized bingo boards with Spanish words written on them. This will function like a regular bingo lottery game. Students will be asked to identify which word is being described and try to connect pictures to Spanish words. Although you can make this board yourself, it's more convenient to order it online.

Reading Picture Books

Suppose you want a peaceful classroom activity and can't figure out how to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in school. Handing out picture books and reading them together is a good way of teaching the students about Mexican culture without being too strenuous for you as a teacher. Kids love visuals, and they learn more by looking at pictures. Like the vocabulary game, this will also allow the students to learn new words.

Other Suggestions

If you're all out of ideas, the simplest way to teach students about Cinco de Mayo is through worksheets. You can teach them about the festival and its history and then test their knowledge with one of the many printable worksheets available online. Another idea is to make Cinco de Mayo fruit cups. Eating is a big part of the festival; feasts are held throughout to celebrate the independence of Mexico. That's why making fruit cups fits into the theme of the holiday. You can also show the class a series of educational videos.

Of course, there are more specific Cinco de Mayo activities for the classroom, such as serving them nachos and salsa and maybe making Mexican hats. But Cinco De Mayo classroom activities and games can be exciting for children. Festivals are a time of celebration, and it doesn't make sense to not have fun during them. This way, you can also teach them about the history of Puebla and how the French almost conquered it.