Paleta-Themed Educational Resources

Looking for paleta/popsicle-themed learning resources? Check out this list of lessons, activities, books, and toys for kids in elementary grades.

It's summer. It's hot. And I'm always looking for fun activities to keep my kids busy when they are staying inside out of the heat. One of my 4yo's favorite themes at this time of year is paletas. So for him, I created a few paleta-themed printables. I kept looking and discovered other ideas, too, with a popsicle theme, including toys, books, crafts, and more.

This post contains affiliate links.

Paleta (Popsicle) Printables

Here are a few paleta-themed activity sheets that you may love!

Paleta Activity Pack for PreK & Kindergarten

Perfect for summer learning, this popsicle-themed activity pack is great for little learners. And for young Spanish learners, the paleta theme is win-win!

There are 12 pages total with activities that focus on the following concepts and skills:

• counting
• spot the difference
• puzzles
• vocabulary
• math
• sequencing
• tracing
• maze
• featured letter

All the activities are available in English and Spanish - you choose the version that works best for you.

Paleta Board Game

A simple board game that teaches number recognition (1 - 5) and basic counting. Comes with game pieces and a spinner base, as well as a game board. Object is to get the players (game pieces) to the finish where the paletero's cart is waiting for them!

Other Paleta-themed activities

• GetColoringPages has a whole ton of popsicle coloring pages that you can print for free.
  
  
• Make a popsicle/paleta garland with this free template from Lil Tigers.
  
  
• What do you do with those popsicle sticks when you're done eating your popsicle? Make art, of course! Here's a list of 50 Fun Popsicle Crafts You Should Make With Your Kids This Summer from DIY&Crafts.
  
  
• I really like this popsicle sticks shapes activity game from RikiTikiArt

• FeltyFun has this Popsicle Color Matching Game available on Etsy
  
  
• Older children may prefer this free Hello Summer coloring page for artists from Creatively Beth.

Paleta (Popsicle) Learning Toys

Recently, the popsicle/paleta theme has been popular with toy makers. Here are some that I find adorable and educational. 

Learning Resources Smart Snacks Number Pops $27

Ages 18months+

Build number and fine-motor skills with these irresistible ice cream pops. Pop the numbered shell over the ice cream pop with the matching number of dots. Perfect for practicing 1-to-1 correspondence with numbers 1-10. Great for color matching too. Includes 20 pieces total-10 pops and 10 matching shells.

Learning Resources Smart Snacks Alpha Pops $28

Ages 2+

Reinforce upper and lowercase letter recognition as your child matches together these frozen pops. Great for fine motor skills and imaginative play. Each pop is double sided so all letters of the alphabet are included. Pops are self-checking by color. 26 pieces.

Melissa & Doug Wooden Frozen Treats Ice Cream Play Set $16

Ages 3+

Chill out with this 24-piece mix-and-match set! Make wooden ice cream sandwiches, ice pops, and Italian ice cups. Self-sticking tabs hold together 3 different cookie flavors and vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream fillings. The set also includes 6 multicolored ice pops on sticks that kids can stick together and pull apart. Or, fill the lidded cups with 4 flavors of ice and serve with a classic wooden spoon! Display the array of chilled goodies in the storage tray and use the menu card to identify all the pieces and place orders. This play set is a great way for kids 3 and older to develop fine-motor, matching and sorting, and counting skills. Playing with food has never been so cool.

Paleta Books

Paletero Man
by Lucky Diaz

In this story, a young boy is melting on the hottest day of the year and goes in search of relief by looking for Paletero José and his cart of many flavors (and colors!). But once he finds el paletero, he discovers he has lost all his money along the way! What's a boy to do??

I wrote a review of Paletero Man that includes a free download of reading comprehension questions to go with the book.

What Can You Do With a Paleta? / ¿Qué puedes hacer con una paleta?
by Carmen Tafolla

As she strolls through her barrio, a young girl introduces readers to the frozen, fruit-flavored treat that thrills Mexican and Mexican-American children. Create a masterpiece, make tough choices (strawberry or coconut?), or cool off on a warm summer's day--there's so much to do with a paleta.

 

And for mamis, I recommend Aguas Frescas & Paletas: Refreshing Mexican Drinks and Frozen Treats, Traditional and Reimagined by Ericka Sanchez.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
  
  
• 15 Homemade Paletas to Try this Summer
  
  
• 15 Sandía Crafts for Summer!
  
  
• 25 Crafts & Activities for the 4th of July

15 Homemade Paletas to Try this Summer

It's the middle of summer and I don't know what it is like where you live, but here, the projected temperatures for the coming week are 99º every day! So I'm stocking up on fruit for a paleta fest to keep my family cool. 

Does your family do DIY paletas (popsicles)? Summer fruit popsicles make the perfect sweet treat for a warm weather day! They’re hydrating, refreshing, and it’s so fun to try new flavor combinations that you can’t find in stores!

Homemade fruit pops are often more flavorful than store-bought, and taste so much better fresh from the freezer! Plus, with simple ingredients, you can feel good about giving these to your family!

These 15 summer fruit popsicles are all made with summer fruits. From classic flavors like orange and raspberry, to more fun and unique flavors like watermelon boba and blueberry basil, you’ll definitely find a flavor here you can’t wait to try!

You can create your own paletas with simple materials such as popsicle sticks and paper cups, but I've added one of my favorite popsicle molds.

This post contains affiliate links.

Paleta (Popsicle) Recipes

1.   Strawberry Vanilla Paletas: Fresh strawberries, vanilla, and vanilla yogurt make for one unique and summery popsicle from my friend Vianney at SweetLifeBake.com!

2. Mango Pineapple Popsicles: A tropical flavored popsicle with a spicy chili salt twist...

3. Champurrado Paletas: Oh. My. Gosh! Ericka of Nibbles and Feasts might be the queen of paletas. I'm linking to her paleta and aguas frescas book below! Go order ASAP!

4. Paletas de Jamaica y Canela + Paletas de Melón: Hibiscus and cinnamon, or cantaloupe? Yes, por favor! I'll take both with these easy recipes from Yvette over at MuyBuenoCookbook.com.

5. Lemonade Popsicles: This popsicle is perfect when you can’t decide between lemonade or a frozen treat!

6. 3 Easy Mexican Paleta Recipes for Kids: My friend, Frances, shares these three easy recipes for Mexican paletas over on MulticulturalKidBlogs.com

7. Creamy Blackberry Popsicle Recipe: My friend, Christa, of PuraVidaMoms.com modifies Costa Rica's paleta recipe "to create an authentic Costa Rican paleta in the United States."

8. Toasted Coconut Lime Popsicles: A simple, 4-ingredient popsicle made with toasted coconut and lime juice! (Shown in image.)

9. Pineapple-Ginger Popsicles: Ginger, honey, and pineapple blended together for a paleta to enjoy all summer long from Silvia at MamaLatinaTips.

10. Orange Lemon Lime Popsicles: A super citrusy and hydrating popsicle made with 5 simple ingredients!

11. Passionfruit Yogurt Pops: A fun and exotic fruit pop made with rice cereal that makes the perfect summertime dessert or even snack! (Shown in image.)

12. Raspberry Popsicles: A 3-ingredient popsicle made with frozen raspberries, so you can make this one all year-round! (Shown in image.)

13. Coconut Water Pineapple Popsicles: Whole raspberries and chunks of pineapple can be seen right through the coconut water in this summery and hydrating popsicle!

14. Strawberry Chia Seed Popsicles: Add a few healthy chia seeds to your summer popsicle and the kids will be none-the-wiser!

15. Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles: These yogurt-based popsicles are creamy and sweet, and make a great popsicle to have on hand all summer long! (Shown in image.)

THE Paleta Book

This is the only recipe book for paletas you'll ever need. Go. Buy. It! Ericka's recipes are the best. (You're welcome!)

Aguas Frescas & Paletas
by Ericka Sanchez

Paleta Molds

If you're like me, you may have a ton of paleta molds in your pantry. Zoku is one of my favorites.

ZOKU - This is my go-to when we want paletas and we want them NOW! Seriously, you can have a popsicle in 7 minutes with this thing. It's unbelievable! Actually, I have the double one, but I don't think they make it anymore. Now they just have the single and it's hard to catch in stock, but maybe you'll get lucky!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Paleta-Themed Educational Resources
  
  
• Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
  
  
• Choose Your Snacks Wisely & Get Creative
  
  
• Airfryer Strawberry Chimichangas

Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz

The following is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Hey, friends! Do you follow Lucky Diaz? From The Lucky Band? I first wrote about him and his band just over two years ago when I discovered his fantastic music video for his single Pan Dulce! 

I'm a big fan simply because I LOVE his bilingual music and I think it's engaging for kids, too. (Check out his YouTube channel here.)

Well, tomorrow, Lucky is launching his first children's book, Paletero Man (aff link), and I was lucky to get my hands on an advanced copy! Y'all. It is so colorful and fun to read. I've read it (more than once) to my 3yo and he (being a paleta junkie) adores it.

The story is based on Lucky’s Los Angeles diverse neighborhood and Latinx culture. But, honestly? It reminded me of the Dallas neighborhood and community where I grew up. And I suspect that Hispanic families across the country may recognize the neighborhood in this book.

In this story, a young boy is melting on the hottest day of the year and goes in search of relief by looking for Paletero José and his cart of many flavors (and colors!). But once he finds el paletero, he discovers he has lost all his money along the way! What's a boy to do??

The books is written in English with Spanish sprinkled in here and there. 

What I love best about the book is how colorful it is. The illustrations by Micah Player are fabulous and capture the story line perfectly.

An Exclusive Song

Of course, Lucky couldn't resist composing a new song to celebrate the release of his children's book. Like all of his music, it makes you want to get up and dance. (It's irresistible to kids!)

You can listen to it here on the HarperCollins website.

Free Reading Comprehension Questions

And because I find it impossible to resist, I put together these reading comprehension questions for you to use with this sweet book. Just click below to get your free copy.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

In addition to the new book, The Lucky Band will release an album of original songs on June 25th called Crayon Kids. I can tell you that it's just as big a toe-tapper as his other albums. Your little one's body can't help but move to the lively beats!

Thanks for all the great resources, Lucky!

Paletero Man in Spanish!

PSST! Did you know this book is now available in a bilingual version??

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Paleta-Themed Educational Resources
  
  
• 15 Homemade Paletas to Try this Summer
  
  
• Choose Your Snacks Wisely & Get Creative
  
  
• Airfryer Strawberry Chimichangas
  

Choose Your Snacks Wisely & Get Creative

Around 10:30 in the morning or so, we take a break from school to "refuel" and have some snacks to help us make it through until lunch. This is probably more important for younger children in PreK - 3rd. There is so much energy being burned up by their little bodies and active brains, that eating more frequently is a must.

But to be honest, I think older children (and adults!) could benefit from eating smaller portions more frequently, too. The key, though, is what you eat. Instead of chips, cookies, or other sugary snacks, try more fruits, whole grains, and dairy products. Yogurts, bagels, muffins, bananas, apples, a glass of milk, and cheese are all great ideas for snacking.

I really loved the healthy snacks many of you shared on the MommyMaestra Facebook page when I asked which ones were your favorites. You gave me a lot of ideas to try out...

Thanks, Everyone!

Sometimes all you need is the perfect container. Nibble trays of carrots, grapes, cheese, and crackers are easy to make and enticing to people of just about any age. And just last week, we found these plastic popcorn holders at our local dollar store. My son was so excited to get home and make some popcorn (in our popcorn maker!), fill the holders, and gobble it all down.

During the weekends or for after school snacks, you might have more time to get creative with food. When your kids are craving sugary foods, make simple sandwiches irresistible with cookie cutters in shapes your kids recognize. A dinosaur or Millennium Falcon turkey sandwich is more likely to eaten with less resistance than a plain square one! (Trust me on this.)

Making food art is along similar lines and immediately develops a story in your child's head. It also nurtures their creative spirit, inspiring them to create their own edible masterpieces. You can encourage them to eat more fruits and veggies by supplying them with pieces of food and an empty plate or muffin tin and challenging them to put together a scene or character. Take a look at my Pinterest board on Food Art for inspiration.

One of my newest and most favorite tools for getting my kids to eat more fruit is the ZOKU New Triple Quick Pop Maker that makes three paletas (popsicles) at a time in as little as seven minutes. It is easy and fun and my kids love it to pieces. I love the fact that we are making desserts that are healthy and nutritious because we only use fresh ingredients, mostly fruits.

The Zoku is really easy to use. I didn't know very much about it when I got it, and thought you had to plug it in. So my kids were a little disappointed when we took it out of the box and realized it had to sit in the freezer for 24 hours before using it. But the next day? Whoa! We made sandía paletas by blending up watermelon slices - seeds and all - in a blender then pouring the puree into the Zoku. Less than 10 minutes later my kids were licking away, happy as they could be. (More about the educational benefits of this product coming soon!)

For our next round we added strawberry slices before pouring in the watermelon. We were thrilled with our beautiful and edible creations. Cantaloupes, peaches, even orange juice all freezes nicely. Throw in a few blueberries or banana slices to add texture and color. You can even simply pour in chocolate milk and - vaya! - instant (wholesome) chocolate popsicles. I got their Quick Pops recipe book, too. It is full of yummy goodness! I will never buy a popsicle again. Just looking at the ingredients on the packaging makes me ill.

Take a look at how easy it is to make these healthy paletas!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• 15 Homemade Paletas to Try this Summer
  
  
• Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
  
  
• Airfryer Strawberry Chimichangas
  
  
• Paleta-Themed Educational Resources