Mardi Gras Mirror Matching Activity for Preschoolers
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Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French, and is one of the most iconic holidays celebrated around the world, especially in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro. Each year, Mardi Gras begins on January 6 with the Christian celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday, exactly 47 days before Easter.
The classical colors green, gold, and purple are observed in their vibrant parades, colorful beads, and carnival celebrations, which are the most recognized characteristics of this fun holiday, enjoyed by thousands of tourists who travel for the festivities.
This year Mardi Gras will be celebrated on March 1st, and it’s a good opportunity to use it as a social studies lesson for your preschoolers. You can use the video below, for more information.
Mardi Gras Mirror Matching Activity
If you know me by now, you know that I like to use every opportunity to change things around and bring new activities for our little learners to get them engaged and interested. This FREE Mardi Gras Mirror Matching Activity is fun and educational, and it will require very little prep time.
This set includes four different pages of matching cards, with three pairs of cards each, for a total of twelve different designs.
Matching activities in general help children develop a wide range of important skills that create the foundations for later concepts. This type of activity requires that young learners identify patterns, similarities, and differences, which involve visual discrimination, memory, problem-solving, one-to-one correspondence, and fine motor skills.
The mirror matching activities create a little extra challenge for children by forcing them to pay attention to shape details, since they cannot rely on colors, to be able to match the cards.
All of these skills will also help them to develop their ability to differentiate between letters and numbers, which will therefore improve their literacy and math skills.
How to Get the Activity Ready
To get these cards ready you only need a handful of materials which are:
- FREE Mardi Gras Mirror Matching Activity (found at the end of this post).
- Printer.
- White paper or cardstock.
- Laminator and laminating sheets.
- Scissors or paper cutter.
Print all the pages, cut the cards out, and laminate them for durability. Have the children match the colorful pictures with their black and white mirrors. You can also use these cards to play a memory-matching game, having the children place the cards upside down and try to find the matching pair. Just take into consideration your children’s different levels of development, and use all or fewer cards accordingly.
Books About Mardi Gras
Below are some books related to Madi Gras. You can find them at your local library and used bookstores, but if you want to expand your collection, just click on the names and it will take you directly to Amazon through my affiliate link, where you can purchase them.
- Mardi Gras ABCs by Connie Toledano. This book takes you on a colorful and educational ride through the Mardi Gras traditions of New Orleans while reinforcing the letters of the alphabet, and keeping your child entertained with vivid illustrations and clever rhymes.
- Delphine Denise and the Mardi Gras Prize by Brittany Mazique. This joyful picture book explores the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the holiday using vibrant and festive illustrations.
- Mardi Gras with Facts About the Holiday by Meggie S. Venice. Kids love holidays and traditions, and with this book, your kids learn new words and the alphabet and know fun facts about Mardi Gras.
- I Spy Mardi Gras by Foxes Publishers. This fun and interactive guessing game is designed to teach the beginning sounds of the alphabet to preschoolers and kindergartners while they enjoy the festival.
- The Little Purple Mardi Gras Bead by Julie Rowley. When Carnival rolls around in New Orleans, everyone gets into the celebration—including the beads! The heartwarming tale offers opportunities for a discussion of bullying, self-worth, and inclusion with children.
- The Night Before Mardi Gras by Gail Perkins Nettles. The children are so excited it’s Mardi Gras Day. They love to see the floats, catch beads, and dance to the music. They’re sad when it’s over but can’t wait for next year’s fun.
- Phoebe Cakes the Bulldog A Mardi Gras Tail by Michelle Dumont. The dynamic illustrations and clever rhyming verses in this story guide readers to discover the sights and sensations of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Pin It For Later
If you are in a rush and don’t have time to read the post and download the printable but want to save it for later, pin this to one of your boards on Pinterest.
Don’t forget to grab your FREE Mardi Gras Mirror Matching activity below. Just type your email for an immediate download. It will subscribe you to my weekly newsletter, where you are going to receive freebies every time.
I hope you and your preschoolers enjoy this activity and have tons of fun learning about Mardi Gras.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.S. Please let me know if this activity works for you, and if you would like to see an article or a printable about how to make something specific, please let me know and I will try my best to create it for you. My goal is to help you in any way I can and I don’t like anything better than to post something that you might find useful.
