Día de los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day, is celebrated on January 6th every year. This holiday, also known as Epiphany, is widely celebrated in Latin American and Hispanic households.
What is Día de los Reyes Magos about?
This holiday celebrates the arrival of the wise men to the manger after Jesus’s birth. They traveled a great distance, following the North Star, to bring gifts to Bethlehem. Though the holiday celebrates a religious story, it has evolved into a cultural holiday for the Latino families who celebrate it.
How do people celebrate?
On January 5th, the eve of this holiday, children will leave their shoes out to be filled with candy and treats by the wise men, much like how children leave shoes out for St. Nicholas in other parts of the world. Many families also wait until the eve of the holiday to add the three wise men to nativity scenes. Some families leave out hay or straw for the wise men’s camels.
On the actual holiday, some families will exchange gifts. There is also usually a big feast, where families come together to eat and celebrate. The feast is also usually accompanied by a King’s Cake, or Rosca de Reyes, which is a sweet, oval-shaped cake that’s usually decorated with dried fruit.
The baker hides a small, plastic figurine of Jesus inside the cake, and whoever finds it in their piece is designated to host the Candlemas celebration in February.
Check out these activities to celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos:
Free Three Kings Day Mobile Art Project
Read about Three Kings Day and create a fun paper mobile. Click here for this free Evan-Moor activity.
Handprint Camel Art Project
This simple and fun art project is easy for all grades and doesn’t require many materials. You’ll need:
- Construction paper
- Markers/crayons/colored pencils
- Brown paint
- Googly eyes (optional)
Directions:
- Have students paint their palm and fingers with the brown paint, then stick their freshly painted hand on the construction paper. Have them press firmly, then pull their hand away straight up to leave a painted handprint.
- The four fingers will be the four legs of the camel, the thumb will be the neck. Students will then paint a head, hump, and tail on the camel.
(This can also be done by tracing a handprint on brown construction paper if paint won’t work for your classroom.) - Students finish by drawing a face on their camel. Googly eyes or other decorations can be added to the project!
North Star Art Projects
This art project can provide many different art options. You can create origami stars, painted stars, or construction paper stars. Regardless of your medium, creating stars for your classroom will be a beautiful decoration and on theme.
If you use colorful translucent paper, you can hang your stars in the window of your classroom or home for a greater effect!
Simply fold, cut, or color your paper into a star pattern and then paint or color accordingly! Add glitter, sparkles, or other artistic elements to make your star original!
Toilet Paper Roll Three Kings
Gather empty toilet paper rolls from your home or school, or have students bring them in. If you don’t have enough for three each, put students in groups of three and have them collectively make the Three Kings. For this project you’ll need:
- Toilet paper rolls
- Construction paper
- Markers, crayons, colored pencils, sharpies
- Googly eyes (optional)
- Scissors
- Cotton balls (optional)
- Glue sticks
Directions:
- Wrap your toilet paper roll with construction paper and glue it into place.
- Cut construction paper into a crown shape and glue it to the top of the toilet paper roll.
- Use the cotton balls or cut out construction paper for the beards.
- Decorate the wise men with facial features using the other art supplies.
You can also bake a King’s Cake as a class or review the recipe together and bring in one to share. Don’t forget to hide a little plastic figurine in the cake—and be careful when eating!
Whether or not you normally celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos, this day is a great opportunity to learn about cultural traditions from across the world.
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For more free holiday lessons and activities, read Lunar New Year Activities for Kids.
Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.