Anna turned 5 in April while we were visiting my parents, so we pushed the big birthday party to May when we were back in town and she was back at school. Being a total sucker for a theme, I was elated when I realized her FIFTH birthday party would fall on the FIFTH of May, AKA Cinco de Mayo.
I had two major goals for her party: 1.) to be respectful of the significance of Cinco de Mayo for Mexican-Americans and of Mexican culture in general and 2.) to make it as fun as possible for 3-6 year old kids.
After reading about the history of Cinco de Mayo and checking out a bunch of other posts about kid-specific parties, I chose to focus my efforts on a few key aspects:
- bright bold colors
- cactus
- flowers
- piñatas
- music
- food
What does that mean when it comes to decorations, food, and activities for a Cinco de Mayo themed birthday party?
The decorations:
- Tissue paper flowers in every color we could find hung around the room
- Tassel and pom-pom garlands around the windows
- Paper flower banners and table top decorations
- Brightly colored table cloths
- Bright flowers
The food:
- Fruit kebabs inspired by the Mexican flag
- Corn chips (with salsa and guacamole for the grown-ups, plain for the kids)
- Cactus pretzel rods
- Churros
- Juice + Water
The activities:
- Pin the flower on the cactus (I free-handed the cactus and printed out these flowers 3 to a page on bright colored card stock*)
- Plastic Egg Maracas
- Tissue paper 5’s
- Coloring pages (here, here, and here)
- Cactus Piñata
*This is an affiliate link. I make a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase it through the link.
All in all, I’d say our Cinco de Mayo birthday party was a success. Anna said her favorite parts were the piñata and the food. She also loved the craft projects, but because we did them a few days ahead of the party to test them out, she wasn’t that excited about doing them AT her birthday party. The rest of the kids seemed to enjoy them, though.
With close to 30 kids in attendance, we probably could have had a few more activities planned “just in case” things got rowdy (which they did). Some things that I will definitely add to our repertoire for the next one:
- Freeze Dance (to Mariachi Music or any music by Mexican artists for Cinco de Mayo). How to play: Kids dance to the music. When the music stops everyone has to freeze (or sit down).
- Going On A “Cactus” Hunt. Hide a cactus (or other Cinco de Mayo inspired item) somewhere in your house or outside and have the kids find it. You can use “hot” or “cold” to help guide the kids to the right spot.
- Balloon Blow. Mark a starting and finish line on the floor with tape (or outside with chalk or rope) and have the kids blow a balloon all the way to the finish line.
- Cinco de Mayo Bingo. This one is an actual game for purchase and can be found here.
And there you have it. Everything we did for Anna’s Cinco de Mayo birthday party (and then some). I had a blast coming up with things to do that were on theme and know that there is so much potential for this one when it comes to kids.
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