Mardi Gras Word Wall Cards for Preschoolers
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Mardi Gras starts on January 6 and concludes on February 13; therefore, you’re not late if you haven’t introduced it to your preschoolers yet. These free Mardi Gras Word Wall Cards will help you teach words related to this celebration and the beginning sounds of each word.
This Mardi Gras Word Wall Card set includes four pages with four words each, for 16 words. The words are beads, mask, king, queen, crown, fleur-de-lis, balloons, costume, hat, yellow, purple, green, confetti, happy, sand, and jester. You can find them at the end of this post.
During circle time or large group activity, you can use the word wall cards to introduce the new vocabulary words related to Mardi Gras. As you introduce each word, you can also introduce or review the beginning letter and its sound.
What is Mardi Gras
Even though this holiday has many names, it is celebrated in many parts of the world, including France, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland, the UK, the United States, and other countries with carnivals full of partying and parades.
The phrase Mardi Gras comes from the French and means “Fat Tuesday”, meaning the practice of eating fatty, richer foods before the Lent season begins for Christians.
Lent is a 40-day season of forgiveness, prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday, in preparation for celebrating Jesus’s resurrection on Easter.
In the United States, this iconic celebration began in 1699 and has been celebrated in Louisiana, including New Orleans, ever since. Every year, hundreds of people visit Louisiana to enjoy the celebrations and have fun.
Typically, this celebration uses three colors: green, purple, and yellow. Green represents faith, purple represents justice, and yellow represents power.
The Mardi Gras Word Wall Cards pack includes four pages with four words each, for a total of 16 vocabulary words. You can get it at the end of this post.
How To Prepare And Use The Mardi Gras Word Wall Cards
This printable is ready to use. You just need a handful of materials, which are:
- The FREE Mardi Gras Word Wall cards set (found at the end of this post).
- Printer.
- White cardstock.
- Laminator machine.
- Laminator pouches.
- Scissors.
Print out the cards using white cardstock, cut them out, and laminate them. That’s all.
I recommend placing these cards in your Word Wall, writing center, literacy center, housekeeping area, and quiet area, and even sending them home. That way the children will have easy access to these words.
Additional Activities:
You don’t have to limit yourself and your preschoolers to just learning the words. You can also extend the use of these cards in other centers. For example:
In the Writing Center, have the children:
- Practice letter formation.
- Trace the words using dry-erase markers.
- Copy the words with pencils, crayons, or markers.
- Match the words with magnetic, foam, or wooden letters.
- Organize the words in alphabetical order.
- Choose a word and build a phrase with it (silly phrases are okay).
In the Literacy/Library Center:
- Find the word in storybooks, magazines, newspapers, etc.
- Choose one word and find other words that start with the same letter.
- Spell the words.
- Say the beginning sound of each word.
In the Reading and Quiet Areas:
Print out a set and divide the pictures and the words. Place the separated sections in a basket and have the children put together the pictures with the matching words.
Mardi Gras Storybooks
Books are one of the most important literacy resources you can use. Good books keep your children engaged and eager to use them; keep your library interesting and change it to match the theme you are using.
Below are some Mardi Gras-related books. You can find them at your local library and used bookstores, but if you want to expand your collection, click the names, and it will take you directly to Amazon through my affiliate link, where you can purchase them.
- The Little Purple Mardi Gras Bead by Julie Rowley. This heartwarming tale offers opportunities to discuss bullying, self-worth, and inclusion with young readers. The delightful story and illustrations will charm the whole family and become a parade-route favorite!
- 12 Days of Mardi Gras by Melisa Thibault. This book has colorful illustrations and uses repetition, alliteration, and visual humor, making it a Mardi Gras-themed riff on the iconic holiday song, perfect for emerging readers and early counters.
- Mimi’s First Mardi Gras by Alice Couvillon. Colorful illustrations of the rich cultural celebration re-create the look and mood of Carnival.
- Delphine Denise and the Mardi Gras Prize by Brittany Mazique. This joyful picture book explores the holiday’s sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. Full of vibrant, festive illustrations, this story reminds readers that winning isn’t everything, and the best way to let the good times roll is with friends.
- Phoebe Cakes the Bulldog: A Mardi Gras Tale by Michelle Dumont. The dynamic illustrations and clever rhyming verses 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 your Literacy or Mardi Gras board on Pinterest.
Don’t forget to grab your FREE Mardi Gras Word Wall Cards printable by clicking on the link below!
I hope you and your children have fun with this printable and that it helps you teach your preschoolers some words for this well-known celebration.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.S. Please let me know if this activity works for you. If you would like to see an article or a printable on how to make something specific, please let me know, and Iwill do my best to create it for you.
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