This Cinco de Mayo Toddler Activity was perfect for my little guy. I am really enjoying toilet paper printing for little ones. The tp roll is the perfect size for their little hands. Not only will they get some history from the Mexican flag activity but they will also get to practice their colors.
Flags hold so much culture and symbolism and usually we know very little about why. Do you know why your birth country chose it’s colors? It’s emblem?
The symbolism and legend of the Mexican flag colors and emblem:
The colors are symbolic of-
Green- verde – the independent movement
White- blanco – the purity of the Catholic faith
Red- rojo – the blood of the national heroes
Practicing your colors in Spanish
So you would say, “La bandera es verde, blanca y roja.” Which means, The flag is green, white and red. The reason blanco y rojo change endings is because bandera ends in “a” therefore changing the endings of the color white and red.
Bandera- Flag
Verde – Green
Blanca – White
Roja – Red
Every time your child changes color of paint have him say the new color in spanish.
The legend of the emblem:
“According to a beautiful legend, the gods had advised the Aztecs
that the place where they should establish their city was to be identified when
they saw an eagle, perched on a prickly pear tree, devouring a serpent. They
saw this mythical eagle on a marshy lake that is now the zócalo or
main plaza in Mexico City. This flag was created in 1821, when the Independence movement had ended
victoriously.”
via Inside-Mexico.com
You can print out the actual flag over at Hellokids or you can use a blank piece of white paper as we did and divided it in thirds and then added the eagle in the middle.
Cinco De Mayo Activity: Mexican Flag Art
You will need:
- red and green paint
- Mexican flag coloring sheet
- toilet paper roll tube
1. Fold the flag in thirds if you have little ones. I did this with my two year old son so that in his excitement he wouldn’t paint all over the flag all at once in one color.
2. Then ask your child,
“Que color quieres?” What color do you want?
Verde? Rojo? o Blanco? (when you say the colors alone they end in “o”).
Then make up sentences to find ways to use the colors. For example, “Wow, I like your verde?” Or if you’re fluent in Spanish and your child is not, point to yourself and say, “Me gusta” then point to the color green and say, “tu color verde.”
Continue doing this for the remainder of the colors.
2. Once it dried we added the eagle. You can explain to your child what each color on the flag represents using the information above.