Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: 1-2 sheets of tissue paper or colored paper, child-safe scissors, pencil, string or yarn (optional, for hanging)
What: Papel picado (“cut paper”) is a Mexican folk art of cutting intricate designs into paper, traditionally used to decorate for celebrations like Día de los Muertos and other fiestas. Your child will fold, cut and unfold paper to make their own papel picado banner, exploring symmetry and shapes along the way.
Why: Being able to hold and transform shapes in one’s mind prepares children for geometry in later grades, and spatial reasoning predicts success in STEM. Using an activity that is a real cultural tradition shows children that math and art show up in celebrations their own families and communities may already share.
1.Fold it: Fold a sheet of paper in half, then in half again, like the paper banners used in papel picado. What shape do you have? Talk about what stays the same on both sides. That’s symmetry!
2.Cut it: Make small cuts along the folded edges (triangles, curves, notches), just like the tradititional cut-paper designs. Unfold carefully. What shapes appear? Count the sides and corners together.
3. Name it: Look at the pattern in your banner. Can you find squares, rectangles, triangles? Are any sides equal? Hang it up to display your shapes!
Let your child predict what the unfolded shape will look like before opening it. The surprise builds curiosity, just like unveiling a real papel picado banner.
If your family celebrates with papel picado or has other paper-cutting traditions, share the story behind it. Connecting math to culture makes it more memorable.
For more family math activities go to familymath.org
