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These Phenomenal Philippines Crafts for Kids are perfect to learn more about the amazing culture of this island country in South East Asia!

Have you heard of a country whose name was derived from the name of a king – of another country? If you haven’t, well, today’s the day you learn a new fact – we’re talking about the Philippines!

Yes, the Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain, after being claimed as part of Spain by explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Today, the Philippines is a democratic republic, with the 23rd of January being the First Philippine Republic Day when the country was first recognized by the international community.

Fun Facts about the Philippines:

• The Philippines has 7641 islands, making it one of the largest archipelagos in the world
• The Philippines is the fifth-largest English-speaking country in the world
• Filipinos take the most selfies than any other country globally
• The Philippines is the largest supplier of nurses to the world – over 25% of American nurses are Filipino
• Two of the world’s largest shopping malls are in the Philippines

In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte declared that 23rd January would be a special working holiday, and since then it’s become an important day for the people of the Philippines. Since the day is coming up, let’s commemorate the occasion with some phenomenal Philippines Crafts for kids!

10 Phenomenal Philippines Crafts for Kids

1. Philippine Flag Handprint Art

We start our list of Philippines crafts for kids with a cute handprint project based on the flag of the Philippines. This project from Hey Dove Studio features all the colors of the Philippines flag – red, blue and white. The red represents Filipino courage, the blue indicates the Filipinos’ readiness for sacrifice and white shows that Filipinos are capable of governing themselves.

2. The Philippines Lapbook

Homeschool Share gives us a nice, handy lapbook about the Philippines, which is an easy way to learn about the country. This gives you lots of fun facts about the country – for instance, did you know that their national bird is the monkey-eating eagle? However, that’s a misnomer, since the eagle doesn’t really eat monkeys!

3. 3D Jeepney Craft

The Filipinos have some unusual means of transportation, including tricycles, kalesas and the absolutely delightful jeepneys! Jeepneys were originally leftover U.S. Military army jeeps that were painted and turned into something colorful and fun. Raise Curious Kids helps us create and decorate our own jeepneys – how fun!

4. Miniature Pahiyas House Craft

Juana Art Craft Saya gives us an example of how houses are decorated during the Philippine festival of Pahiyas, in this fun craft. Pahiyas is a colorful harvest festival where people give thanks to the patron saint of farmers, Saint Isidore the Laborer. During the festival, the houses are decorated with the results of the harvest, like fruits, vegetables and flowers.

5. Paper Plate Filipino Parol Craft

The Philippines is the only Asian country with a majority Christian population, with over 86% of the people identifying as Catholic. In fact, after Brazil and Mexico, the Philippines has the largest Catholic population in the world. This explains why Christmas is a big event in the country, and Hey Dove Studio brings us a little bit of Filipino Christmas with a traditional Filipino Christmas ornament.

6. Paper Cone Sarimanok Craft

Filipinos have many superstitions and lots of myths and legends as well, which is why we have a mythological creature from DLTK Kids next on our list of Philippines crafts for kids! This is the Sarimanok, a mythological bird that is shown with bright colorful feathers and clutching a fish. The Sarimanok is often found in art and in fabrics.

7. Filipina Festival Paper Doll

It’s always fascinating to learn about the national costumes of different countries, and Jac ‘n Jem Art Works gives us a little insight into a Filipina’s festive costume with this craft! The costumes of the Philippines have heavy Spanish, Chinese and Indo-Malay influences. The men’s costume is known as Barong Tagalog and the women’s costume is called Baro at Saya. These are often made from local fabrics created from pineapple fiber and banana fiber.

8. Philippines Flag Craft

If you look closely, you’ll find that the flag of the Philippines has lots of little interesting details. Besides the red and blue bands, there is a white triangle with a golden sun in it. The sun has eight rays, representing eight provinces. The sun is accompanied by three golden stars, which represent the three main island groups of the nation. Learn more about the flag as you make this craft from Raise Curious Kids.

9. Vinta Boat Mosaic

Juana Art Craft Saya brings us a beautiful colorful art project featuring a Vinta boat. This is a traditional boat from the southern Philippines with colorful patterned sails. These boats are used for fishing or transportation and are of great cultural significance in the country. The fact that mosaic art is a fast-growing art form in the country makes this project perfectly relevant!

10. Filipino Parol Hanging Ornament

Christmas is a pretty big deal in the Philippines, with the ‘Christmas season’ starting in September and going all the way till Three Kings Day in January! Even the night mass before Christmas Eve is 9 days long! Filipinos enjoy this time by decorating their homes with parols, traditionally made with bamboo or Japanese paper. Apartment Therapy shows us how to make one in a more modern style.

I’m sure you learned a lot about this amazing island country, and are probably thinking of planning a visit to the Philippines soon! That is an amazing idea, especially since Filipinos are among the most polite people in the world! They call everyone ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Sir’, and have a lot of consideration for the elderly, disabled and others. We hope these Philippines crafts for kids have inspired you to learn more about the country – and even visit!

If you liked these crafts, you may also enjoy these:

• 15 Timeless Thailand Crafts for Kids
• 10 Stunning Singapore Crafts for Kids
• 10 Joyful Japan Crafts for Kids