Celebrate Chile’s Independence Day with these cheerful Chile Crafts for Kids! Learn about the country’s colorful history, heritage and more!

When I was a kid, some country names were really funny to me. For instance, I often wondered if Hungary was always hungry, and if Greece was really greasy. I also remember thinking that Chile probably liked eating lots of chilli and it was easy for them because they were right next to the water!

Of course, those were childish jokes, and as a grown-up, I know a lot more about these wonderful countries and their contributions to civilization. It’s something I love learning about – cultures around the world, and since 18th September is Chile’s Independence Day, we’re going to focus on Chile today!

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When did Chile gain independence?

Chile was ruled by the Spanish for hundreds of years. The head of state was the Spanish Governor, a direct representative of the King.

In the 1800s, the Chileans decided they wanted their freedom, and a rebel group was formed. They fought for several years before finally winning back their independence in 1818.

The start of Chile’s freedom struggle began on September 18, 1810, and that’s why this day has special significance for the Chilean people.

How is Chile’s Independence Day celebrated?

Chile’s Independence Day is a grand nationwide celebration, called las fiestas patrias. Everyone gets a full week off from school and work to celebrate. People get dressed up in their traditional clothes, play music, dance and put on shows. There are also parades and feasts set up at special venues called fondas. Yes, it’s one big party!

You’ll probably miss out on the celebrations if you’re not in Chile, but you can still join in – by making some Chile crafts for kids! Not only are these fun to make, but they’re also a great introduction to the history and heritage of this beautiful nation!

15 Cheerful Chile Crafts for Kids

1. Egg Carton Chilean Bellflowers

Chile’s national flower is the Lapageria rosea, also known as the Chilean bellflower, since it’s shaped like a bell. The flower is named after Napoleon’s Empress Josephine, who was known to be a plant lover. This isn’t a flower that grows in a garden; it grows in the forests of Southern Chile! Asi Piensa Una Mama shows us how to make our own bellflowers using egg cartons and pipe cleaners.

2. Paper Plate Llama Craft

Llamas are a popular animal in Chile and other Andean regions, since they’re quite useful for the terrain of that area. They can carry up to 25% of their body weight, and their fine fiber coats are perfect for extreme winters. The Taira Valley in Chile has rock art dating back over 2000 years, which depicts the importance of the llama in the lives of the people. This paper plate llama craft is a simple representation of how the local people decorated their favorite animal.

3. DIY Chilean Rainstick

Next on our list of Chile crafts for kids is a DIY rainstick from Teach Kids Art. Chile is home to the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest desert, where the average yearly rainfall is just 0.6 inches! That is where the rainstick is believed to have originated. Initially, they were made from dried cactus tubes filled with pebbles. The stick made a sound like falling rain, and it was used by the locals in rituals where they prayed for rain.

4. Easter Island Paper Craft

You can’t have a list of Chile crafts for kids without mentioning Easter Island! Easter Island or Rapa Nui, is an island of Chile in the Pacific Ocean, famous for its large stone statues. The island was named by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived there on Easter Sunday. Easter Island was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995 and is a well-known tourist destination today. You can create a fun paper model of the place with this printable from Canon Creative Park.

5. Chile Flag Agamograph

If you’re looking for Chile crafts for kids under the age of 6, this agamograph printable from Teachers Pay Teachers is perfect! They’ll have fun learning some fun facts about Chile, like how the country got its name, for instance. One theory is that it is based on an indigenous Aimara word “chili”, which means ‘where the land ends’. Another theory is that it is based on how the indigenous people referred to bird calls, which sounded like ‘cheele cheele’. They’re both very interesting stories!

6. Folk Art Fabric Arpilleras

Small Hands Big Art gives us a project inspired by the beautiful Chilean folk art called Arpilleras. This handicraft features scraps of colorful fabric stitched together to create stunning scenes. This art form also has a story behind it – Under the dictatorship, people were struggling with no jobs and no money. The women came up with the idea of utilising fabric scraps to create art as a way to earn some income. Over time, they used these scenes to tell stories of their struggles and their dreams.

7. Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People

Did you know that Chile is known as the “pais de los poetas” or the ‘country of poets’? This is because Chile has contributed a lot to the world of poetry and literature, including two Nobel Prize winners – Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda. This book by Monica Brown beautifully captures the story of Pablo Neruda, who grew up writing poems about the things he saw and loved and later, about the struggles of his people. With gorgeous illustrations by Julie Paschkis, this book is a great introduction for kids to the poet’s life.

8. Printable Mapuche Coloring Headband

A list of Chile crafts for kids would be incomplete if we didn’t talk about the Mapuches, the indigenous Chilean people. In their local language, mapudungún, Mapuche means ‘people of the land’. Chile celebrates the Mapuches and other tribes on 21st June, Chile’s National Day of Indigenous Peoples. You can celebrate them too, with this beautiful printable headband from Twinkl. While the traditional Mapuche headpiece, Trarilonco, is made from wood or silver, we’ll make do with paper for now!

9. Moai Statues History Craft

The statues on Easter Island are known as moai, and they’re large monolithic figures in human form. The human figures would first be outlined in a giant wall of volcanic rock, and then chipped away till nothing but the figure was left. The moai have a distinct structure – large heads with prominent noses and no legs. It is believed that they’re representations of ancestors, and have a spiritual significance for the people. At Surviving a Teacher’s Salary, you can learn how to make your own moai statues, without too much effort!

10. Chile Read and Learn Coloring Pages

The best part about making these Chile crafts for kids is that you get to learn a lot about the country! Take this printable set from Kindergarten Worksheets, for instance, which teaches us many things, including the colors of the Chilean flag. The flag was inspired by the stars and stripes of the United States of America, although the symbolism is different. The white on the Chilean flag represents the snow on the Andes, the blue is for the sky and the ocean, the red represents the blood spilled during the freedom struggle, while the star is a sign of progress and hope.

11. DIY Recycled Emboque Toy

Nicole from Creativos Kids shows us how to make an emboque, a traditional Chilean toy. The toy consists of two parts – a bell and a stick. To play, you need to flip the bell from a hanging position and get it to fall on the stick. This is a fun game that’s played during Chile’s national holidays, and while the traditional version is made of wood, you can make one from a plastic bottle!

12. Paper Dolls in Traditional Chilean Costumes

One of the most fun things to do is to look at the traditional clothes of different countries – it’s something I enjoy! In Chile, women’s traditional clothing generally includes a woolen skirt called a trawünand an embroidered blouse called a küyén. The men wear loose trousers called calzónde campo with a chamanto, a poncho. Sometimes, they add accessories like colored shawls or wide hats called sombreros, similar to the Mexicans. Dress up paper dolls in traditional Chilean clothing using the printable from Colorear Blog.

13. Traditions of Chile 3D Book

Twinkl brings us a fun 3D ebook that describes the main celebrations of Chile, including festivals, dances and games. The most popular traditional dance in Chile is the Cueca, which takes inspiration from Native American and African moves, while its music has strong Spanish influences. Listen to some traditional Chilean music as you put together this craft!

14. Andean Condor Paper Craft

Celebrate Chile’s national bird, the Andean Condor, with this project from You’re So Creative. It is also called the Chilean condor, and is one of the world’s largest flying birds as well as the largest bird of prey. The bird is important in Chilean folklore and mythology and is considered a symbol of power. The Andean condor has appeared in art forms since 2500 BCE and on stamps, coins and banknotes later.

15. Maya Hanisch-Inspired Chilean Folk Painting

If you’d like to try your hand at some Chilean folk art, check out this tutorial from Artist in Studio, inspired by Maya Hanisch, a popular Chilean artist, illustrator, author, and designer. Chilean folk art features indigenous and religious symbols, and Maya Hanisch blends these with symmetry and bright colors.

We hope these Chile crafts for kids have inspired you to learn a little more about this beautiful country. There’s a lot more interesting trivia about Chile – for instance, did you know that Chile has an official UFO research bureau? Or that after Germany, Chile is the largest bread consumer in the world?

Well, that’s why we love making such crafts – it opens the door to learning more about different countries and increases our appreciation for other cultures. What’s better than that?

If you’d like to learn more about other Latin American countries, check these out: