Las Posadas Activities for Kids

Finding Las Posadas activities for kids can be difficult. So I thought it would be a great idea to put together one post that lists crafts and other activities for children of different ages. I've included craft tutorials, as well as a short list of printables that are available for parents and educators. For additional educational ideas, be sure to check out my post on Las Posadas Lesson Plans, Crafts, Activities, and Music

Enjoy!

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Las Posadas Crafts for Kids

Here's a list of hands-on crafts for kids to make as they prepare for Las Posadas.

• Luminarias are one of the main crafts associated with the holiday tradition. They are often made to line the walkways outside the homes where the peregrinos will walk to ask for posada.
  
  
• These Piñata Ornaments are easy to make and fun to fill!
  
  
• Have your children make this Fast & Easy Papel Picado Banner to decorate doorways or other areas inside the home.
  
  
• Redwood City Public Library has this fabulous tutorial for making a piñata craft
  
  
• OCPublicLibraries has this simple video tutorial for making a lovely Paper Poinsettia Craft:

• And here's another poinsettia craft from Red Ted Art.
  
  

Crafts for Older Students

• If you have older children who would like more of a challenge, consider this tutorial from Craft in America in which paper artist Kathleen Trenchard demonstrates how to create a luminaria with scissors.
  
  
• You may also enjoy this tutorial on How to Make Papel Picado with Mario A. Hernandez
  
  
• Don't miss this EXCELLENT tutorial on making your own traveling nacimiento by Sabor a Cajeta.

Materials to have on hand

• Different colored cardstock
• different colored ribbon
• Scissors
• Tape
• Ruler

Printables

• Las Posadas Minibook
  
  
• Las Posadas Bilingual Book of Words
  
  
• Posada Countdown Calendar!
  
  
• Do-It-Yourself Posada Kit

Other Posts on Las Posadas

• 4 Children's Books to Celebrate Las Posadas
  
  
• MommyMaestra's Three Favorite Versions of the Las Posadas Song

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Las Posadas Printable Resources

Las Posadas start tomorrow! Are you looking for resources to teach your students/children about this nine-day celebration?

Las Posadas is a re-enactment of the night that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and asked for shelter. These evening celebrations begin each year on December 16th and end on Christmas Eve.

I have a ton of resources here on MommyMaestra for learning about Las Posadas, including crafts, videos, books, and more. Just click here or use the sidebar search box.

And if you are looking for a quick, no-prep, print-and-go activity to teach your child about this holiday celebration, then check out my Las Posadas collection! It has printables for a variety of ages and they are ALL available in both English and Spanish.

Here's a peek at what you'll find:

Countdown Calendar

for preschool and elementary grades

Las Posadas Book of Words

for preschool and early elementary grades

Las Posadas Minibook

for early elementary

Las Posadas Board Game

for elementary

Las Posadas Coloring Book

elementary grades

Las Posadas 1-Page Reading Passage

for 4th - 8th grade (and higher!)

DIY Posada Kit!

For upper elementary grades

A Short List of Virtual Las Posadas Celebrations for 2020

Tomorrow night, Las Posadas begins. For many, it's hard to imagine the holiday season without getting together for the 9-day celebration. But I want to encourage you all to forego them in person this year. It breaks my heart to write that. But to help you with the struggle, here is a list of virtual posada programs happening around the country, that you can watch/participate in from the warm comfort of your own home!

OR you can organize one yourself among friends and family using Zoom. (I LOVE this idea!)

Enjoy!

Free Virtual Events (most require registration)

• The Museums at Union Station (Ogden, UT) will be hosting an online event activity that will happen via Youtube and be posted on Facebook. It includes:
  -@11am make luminarias and piñata ornaments
  - @6 pm Music, Stories and Folk Dances from España, Mexico, Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Chile and Argentina!
  REGISTER HERE
  
  
• Girl Scouts Virtual Piñata Making & Posada Celebration:: LET'S MAKE a Piñata!! Your whole family and friends are invited to make a piñata while learning how a Mexican Posada is celebrated!
  REGISTER HERE   and in SPANISH HERE
  
  
• Aurora Museum Foundation (Aurora, CO):: Online Lecture: Las Posadas. The Christmastime tradition of Las Posadas begins on December 16th. Maye Agama has celebrated Las Posadas with Las Fraternas at the Fort for many years. She will share her photos and experiences. The lecture is free, but you must register to receive the link to the online meeting. Space is limited, please only register if you plan to attend. There is no cancellation fee. REGISTER HERE

• Join Ignatian Solidarity Network December 16-24 in a daily virtual experience of music, art, prayer, reflection, and action as they journey with the Holy Family and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in search of shelter and protection. Read more here.
   
• Mission San Jose (Fremont, CA) is hosting FREE nightly Posada entertainment December 15th through 23rd at 7pm. See the schedule and register here.
  
  
• La Posada Sin Fronteras /// Posada Without Borders  This year's Posada Sin Fronteras event will take place virtually on Saturday, December 19 from 4 PM to 5:30 PM. Follow them on Facebook for more information.
  

Free Las Posadas Word Search

Las Posadas is fast approaching. It is one of the favorite traditions from my childhood, and I love creating resources for my kids and yours. I have listed them below. But first...

A New Freebie!

I wanted to make sure that those of you who are subscribed to my monthly newsletter keep an eye out for it this week in your inbox. I'll be sharing this latest free download, plus an extra freebie of bilingual gift tags for you to use for the holidays. This will be my last newsletter of the year.

If you aren't subscribed, you can do so here.

Las Posadas Printables

Las Posadas Countdown Calendar

This is actually my favorite activity of all! A full-color, printable calendar celebrating Las Posadas. This calendar follows the nine-day celebration that begins on the 16th of December and ends on Christmas Eve.

Parents and children can print out the calendar and the images that accompany it. Each image includes a bilingual description (English & Spanish) that explains its role in the posada. Children cut out the images and paste them onto the calendar once a day during Las Posadas.

Board Game

Help the peregrinos arrive at the posada! Players first color in the game board, then cut out the game cards, or make their own. Using a die or the spinner (included) players make their way across the board using beans or buttons to move across the game path. The first one to reach the house wins!

Book of Words

This file contains two printable book of words closely associated with the tradition. One book is in English and the other is in Spanish. The emphasis is on writing practice for students in Pre-K through 2nd grade.

A Bilingual Minibook

This is my most popular product. It includes THREE printable booklets full of coloring pages of items most closely associated with Las Posadas. The three booklets are:

• a bilingual book (English & Spanish)

• an English only (for ESL)

• a Spanish only (for Spanish learners)

Bilingual Coloring Book

Introduce your students to Las Posadas vocabulary with this fun little coloring book. Features those items most closely associated with the celebration including the peregrinos, the sheet music, luminarias, and various foods typically served at las posadas.

1-Page Reading Passage

This is a one-page history on Las Posadas, a Mexican Christmas tradition. Your students will learn about this holiday tradition. This informational text is written for students in 4th - 8th grade. Includes an 8-question comprehension quiz plus answer key. Includes both the English and Spanish versions for your convenience.

Or just get the BUNDLE!

Downloads for Celebrating Las Posadas

Las Posadas printables are a great way to teach your children or students about this 9-day celebration. Are you looking for easy activities that you can just download and print for your students or little ones? Keep scrolling to see the selection I have for children in Kindergarten through 8th grade. And if you'd like additional educational ideas, check out my post Las Posadas Lesson Plans, Crafts, Activities, and Music.

Printable Downloads for Las Posadas

New this year is my Las Posadas BUNDLE (shown above), which gives you ALL the elementary grade products for a discount!

Read about the rest of my Posada printables below.

A Bilingual Minibook on Las Posadas

This is my most popular product. It includes THREE printable booklets full of coloring pages of items most closely associated with Las Posadas. The three booklets are:

• a bilingual book (English & Spanish)

• an English only (for ESL)

• a Spanish only (for Spanish learners)

Las Posadas Countdown Calendar

This is actually my favorite activity of all! A full-color, printable calendar celebrating Las Posadas. This calendar follows the nine-day celebration that begins on the 16th of December and ends on Christmas Eve.

Parents and children can print out the calendar and the images that accompany it. Each image includes a bilingual description (English & Spanish) that explains its role in the posada. Children cut out the images and paste them onto the calendar once a day during Las Posadas.

Las Posadas: Book of Words

This file contains two printable book of words closely associated with the tradition. One book is in English and the other is in Spanish. The emphasis is on writing practice for students in Pre-K through 2nd grade.

Las Posadas Bilingual Coloring Book

Introduce your students to Las Posadas vocabulary with this fun little coloring book. Features those items most closely associated with the celebration including the peregrinos, the sheet music, luminarias, and various foods typically served at las posadas.

Las Posadas Board Game

Help the peregrinos arrive at the posada! Players first color in the game board, then cut out the game cards, or make their own. Using a die or the spinner (included) players make their way across the board using beans or buttons to move across the game path. The first one to reach the house wins!

Do-It-Yourself Posada Kit

For older children, there's no better way to teach your students about Las Posadas, than to let them experience one for themselves! This DIY Posada Kit comes with everything you need to host your own posada. It includes:

• An invitation template in English

• Luminarias tutorial

• Papel picado tutorial

• Piñata ornament tutorial

• Recipe resources

• Lyrics in Spanish and English

• MP3 resources for downloading the song

• Printable templates of the candle and Mary, Joseph, the angel and donkey.

Las Posadas 1-Page Reading Passage

This is a one-page history on Las Posadas, a Mexican Christmas tradition. Your students will learn about this holiday tradition. This informational text is written for students in 4th - 8th grade. Includes an 8-question comprehension quiz plus answer key. Includes both the English and Spanish versions for your convenience.

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Final TpT Sale of the Season!

Yikes! I forgot to tell you about this one! Don't forget that the final TpT sale of the year is happening. Today is the last day to take advantage of the discount on my ENTIRE store!

Search your wish list for those favorite holiday items. Here are just some of the items you might have been waiting to come around:

NEW this year! I've finally bundled my elementary files for Las Posadas. My five most popular activities for this tradition are available now. Reading passages for older children also available.

This printable booklet of popular villancicos is easy to print and go.

Here's a fun booklet of aguinaldo lyrics. 

My Parranda Reading Passage sheds light on this Puerto Rican tradition.

Introduce your students to el Día de los Reyes with this printable minibook! One-page reading passage for older children also available.

Click here to see my complete store and stock up for next year!

No-Prep, Print-and-Go Las Posadas Activities

Sunday night marked the beginning of Las Posadas. The nine-day celebration is a re-enactment of the night that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and asked for shelter. These evening celebrations begin each year on December 16th and end on Christmas Eve.

If you are looking for a quick, no-prep, print-and-go activity to teach your child about this holiday celebration, then check out my Las Posadas collection! It has printables for a variety of ages and they are ALL available in both English and Spanish.

Here's a peek at what you'll find:

Las Posadas Book of Words

for preschool and early elementary grades

Las Posadas Minibook

for early elementary

Las Posadas Board Game

for elementary

Las Posadas Coloring Book

elementary grades

Las Posadas 1-Page Reading Passage

for 4th - 8th grade (and higher!)

The Night of Las Posadas Read Aloud

Today is December 16th and the official beginning of Las Posadas. I started looking around to see what new resources were available for celebrating this nine-day tradition, and was DELIGHTED to find a read aloud on YouTube of Tomie dePaola's excellent children's picture book, The Night of Las Posadas (aff). It's one of my favorite stories about this holiday event.

So I thought I would share it with you here. It was uploaded for the St. Helen School music class. It's very much an English-speaker production, but a great read for Spanish immersion classrooms anyway. I love that they have different voice actors representing the different characters.

I hope you enjoy it!!

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Crafts, Printables, and More for Las Posadas

Las Posadas officially begin exactly one week from today. I've already printed up my Las Posadas Countdown Calendar and have it ready to go.

If you are looking for resources to celebrate this holiday tradition, MommyMaestra has got you covered!!

Below are my favorite crafts, printables, books, and more.

Lesson Plans & Books

By far this is the most comprehensive list of Las Posadas lesson plans, recipes, videos and more.

Here are four books about Las Posadas.

Videos & Music

Here are 3 Videos for Teaching about Las Posadas Navideñas that I recommend.

Are you looking for music for your event? Here are my Three Favorite Versions of the Las Posadas Song that you can find and download from Amazon.

Crafts

A couple of years ago, I made this tutorial for Fast & Easy Papel Picado Banner. We can actually make his banner for any festive occasion, but especially during Las Posadas.

Also, one of my most popular posts remains this tutorial for creating your own luminarias.

Older children may enjoy making these piñata star ornaments filled with goodies.

Printables

In my store, you'll find the following printables that you can immediately download upon purchasing.

• Las Posadas Countdown Calendar (I highly recommend it!)
• Bilingual Minibook on Las Posadas (Most popular)
• Las Posadas Bilingual Minibook of Words
• Las Posadas Bilingual Coloring Book
• DIY Posada Kit
• Las Posadas Board Game

Also, new this year is the Las Posadas 1-Page Reading Passage.

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Tutorial: Fast & Easy Papel Picado Banner

Las Posadas start tomorrow and I don't even have any decorations up! So I decided to throw together this simple tutorial for fast and easy papel picado. It's a good activity for kids 8 years old and up. 

Papel picado is the Mexican folk art of paper cutting. Traditionally, elaborate designs are cut into the layered paper using chisels and other paper cutting tools. This project uses colored cardstock and paper punches that are easy for children to manipulate safely. To make your own miniature papel picado banner, here are some simple directions.

Materials:

• Colored cardstock in festive colors

• Punches with different designs (My favorites are the Martha Stewart square punches. I can usually find them on super sale at Michaels or TJ Maxx.)

• Decorative scrapbooking scissors (optional)

• Yarn or ribbon

Directions:

Cut your cardstock into 4” x 6” rectangular sheets or use pre-cut pieces.

Remove the top portion of your center punch, and center one sheet on the base plate.

Next replace the top. You don't have to worry about centering it; the magnets will pull it into place. It is helpful to hold the cardstock in place, though, with one finger as the motion of the punch sliding into place can pull the paper off to the side.

Then your child/student can simply push down on the top! It should punch very easily.

Use smaller punches to decorate the edges. Optional: Use wavy scissors to make a decorative edge along the sides and bottom, or use a decorative edge punch. 

TIP! Save your punched out pieces for colorful confetti for your cascarones. 

You may want to trim the top piece off so that all of the pieces of paper are a uniform size and to create a small strip for sliding the ribbon through. At the top, use a small round or rectangular punch at each corner, about ¼” from the top.

Cut a long piece of yarn or ribbon. The length will depend on how many papel picados you make, but for 10 sheets cut a ribbon about 77 inches long to allow for ½ an inch in between each piece, plus an additional 3 inches at each end to create a loop for hanging.

Thread the ribbon through the two holes at the top of each papel picado piece.

Make a loop at each end and hang!