Mexican-themed activities for kids
Learn about Mexico with some kid-friendly activities
If you enjoyed the Mexico Country Quest, but you still want to learn more, how about some of these Mexico themed activities?
They’re a fun way to learn a little bit more about Mexico. There’s a craft activity, a recipe and a language learning game (with a song!).
REMEMBER TO SEND PHOTOS TO QUESTA AND ZEKE IF YOU TRY ONE!
You can send photos to us on Instagram, Facebook or via email.
Translate Coco lyrics
Listening to music is a great way to learn more of a different language. Pronunciation improves, thanks to the help of rhyme and the harmony can help kids to remember patterns of words they would otherwise forget.
Even better is when a familiar song is sung in a different language. While there may have been reservations about Disney’s 2018 film Coco, Disney songs can be a fantastic language learning resource.
Try listening to the English and Spanish versions of Coco songs - our favourite is Un Poco Loco (with the same title in English).
In fact, we love it so much we made a Questa Kids bonus activity, helping kids to translate the lyrics. It’s a simple drag and drop, but it’s a great excuse to get kids familiar with both versions of the song!
🏆If you get really good at the Spanish version - make a video and send it to us or tag us on social media (on Instagram or our Facebook group). We’ll give a prize to the best one! 🏆
Whip up some guacamole
Guacamole is a delicious recipe from Mexico, possibly originating in the Aztec period or before. Some stories claim that Quetzalcoatl, the God of learning and writing, gave guacamole to the people of Mexico as a gift.
Regardless of its origins, it’s an incredibly simple recipe to make with children. Plus, you can create your own version! While avocados are a requirement, everything else added to guacamole is flexible. Some people put garlic in, others chilli - Antony from Queer Eye even suggests a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Below is our version of guacamole - feel free to borrow!
Remember:
Watch out for chopping chillies if you’re using them - spice in the eye or nose is never enjoyable
If you want to go traditional you can use a molcajete (or pestle and mortar) to make guac the authentic way
You can also watch our TikTok tutorial on making guacamole.
Ingredients:
4 avocados
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Juice of 2 limes
A pinch of chilli flakes
Salt & pepper
Instructions:
Stick everything into a blender (or a molcajete/peste & mortar if you’re feeling adventurous!) and mix! Adjust to taste.
TOP TIP: If kids are ‘mixing to taste’ by themselves, it can be helpful to keep an avocado in reserve in case they add too much of everything else - I speak from personal experience.
Crack out the cascarones
Cascarones are a traditional Mexican craft for Easter. They’re colourfully painted eggs, filled with confetti, rice or petals. When cascarones are cracked over your head, you’ll have good luck for the year. They’re a fun, albeit slightly messy craft for kids.
Creating the cascarones is good fine motor skill development task, while decorating them is a great creative task. Plus there’s a rambunctious finale when everyone gets to crack eggs on each others’ heads.
Bear in mind that most confetti is not biodegradable and rice can be difficult to clean up if thrown outside (although it’s an urban myth that it kills birds!).
Some eco-friendly alternatives include:
Lavender buds
Regular seeds (if you’re happy to have plants growing randomly in your garden!)
Colourful cereal, like Froot Loops
Here are the instructions for making cascarones
You’ll need:
Eggs (white is easiest to paint)
A pin or needle
Acrylic paints (if you want to paint the eggs)
Sharpies of different colours (if you want to draw on the eggs)
White vinegar and food colouring (if you want to dye the eggs)
Various bowls or containers
Confetti or alternative
Tissue paper
Prep the eggshells
First you’ll need to empty the egg. You don’t have to worry too much about keeping the hole to extract the white and yolk small - we’ll cover the hole up with tissue paper later.
Remember to either make a hole big enough to allow air into the egg as you’re emptying it, or to make a secondary hole with a needle at the other end of the egg. The white/yolk won’t come out unless it can be replaced with air.
Decorate the eggs
Once the whites and yolks have been removed, you can start decorating the shells. Recommended methods include acrylic paints, drawing with colourful Sharpies, glueing on tissue paper or dying the eggshells. You can even make glitter eggs!
We’ve made a Pinterest board with some inspiration:
Fill the eggs
Fill the eggs with confetti or your alternative. The size of the hole in the eggshell needs to be proportionate to the confetti you’re using.
This bit can get a little messy, so it’s worthwhile doing over some old newspaper or a bucket or container.
Once the filling is inside, use a bit of tissue paper and some glue to cover over the hole. It doesn’t need to be very robust, as the eggs will be smashed soon afterwards. However, if you’re worried the tissue paper seems too weak, keep adding layers until you’re satisfied.
Start the fun!
The kids will take care of this one. Cue lots of running around the hysterical laughter. Remember it’s best to crush the egg in your hand over someone’s head, rather than actually crack the egg on someone’s head - it avoids potential injuries or over-enthusiasm.
Enjoy it? Come join us on the Mexico Country Quest!
Questa and Zeke are on a mission to save the knowledge of the world, one country at a time.
Their fourth country is Mexico, and they’re off to meet 9 famous Mexican women, including Frida Kahlo, Malinche and Sor Juana de la Cruz
Questa Kids is an online educational game for kids aged 7-12 focused on geography, history and the stories of women