There’s more to Portugal than egg tarts and Ronaldo, and we’re going to learn about it with some fun and interesting Portugal crafts for kids!

When you think of ancient European civilizations, the first ones to come to mind are probably the Greeks and Romans. But did you know that there’s another nation-state that’s considered one of the oldest in Europe?

It’s Portugal!

Portugal was founded in 1143 and is one of the founding members of NATO, the European alliance. Portugal’s Independence Day is on the 1st of December, which makes this month perfect to learn more about this amazing country!

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Fun Facts about Portugal

Portugal came to be as a result of a fight between a mother and son – the Countess of Portugal and her son
Portugal gets its name from its second-largest city, Porto, or Portus Cale in Latin
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, and it is older than other cities like Rome, London, Paris, or Madrid
According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Portugal is considered the 7th safest country in the world
Portugal is the largest producer of cork in the world, and Portuguese cork handicrafts are famous
The Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon was the longest in Europe till 2018

There’s a lot more to learn about Portugal, and we’re going to do it with some fun Portugal crafts for kids!

15 Perky Portugal Crafts for Kids

1. Origami Barcelos Rooster Craft

If you go to Portugal, you’ll notice a colorful rooster everywhere. This is Portugal’s unofficial symbol, the Barcelos Rooster. This rooster is such an integral part of Portuguese heritage that we had to include this craft from Origami & Paper in our list of Portugal crafts for kids!

2. Azulejos-Inspired Craft Foam Project

Azulejos are hand-painted ceramic tiles that are a common feature in Portuguese homes, streets, buildings, churches, palaces and other monuments across the country. The tiles display intricate designs in blue and are often symmetrical. Arte a Scuola shows us how to create our own azulejo designs witht his art project.

3. Printable Nativity Scene Finger Puppets

Nativity scenes are common across the world during Christmas, but the Portuguese have their own traditional version, called Presépios. In Portugal, the Child is placed in the nativity scene only after Midnight Mass. While most nativity scenes feature the standard characters, the Portuguese add their own, like farmers, millers or even marching bands!

4. Sardine Crafts 3 Ways

Seafood is a huge deal in Portugal, so much so that the Portuguese eat cod for Christmas, instead of turkey! The cod is an integral part of Portuguese history, and it is estimated that an average person eats nearly 10 kg of cod per year! Another popular fish is sardines – there’s even a souvenir shop in Lisbon called The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines! Table Setting is My Life celebrates the sardine with this cute craft.

5. Portugal Football Jersey Origami

Soccer is Portugal’s most popular sport, with nearly 75% of the population playing or following the sport. English merchants brought it to Portugal in the late 19th century, and today, Portugal has some of the most famous clubs in the world. Learn how to make a Portugal football jersey with this craft from All About Jersey.

6. Portugal Flag Craft

You can’t have a list of Portugal crafts for kids without featuring the Portuguese flag! The main colors of the flag are green and red, symbolizing hope and the blood of martyrs, respectively. The flag also has a coat of arms in the center, representing victory. FNART shows us how to draw the Portugal flag with a video.

7. Portuguese Explorers Coloring Pages

Portugal is a country that has historically been big on exploring other places. Since Spain also shared this interest, in 1494, the two countries decided to split up the unexplored lands between themselves. It is said that at one point in time, Portugal owned one-half of the world, while Spain had the other half! The most famous Portuguese explorers are Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan, and Super Coloring gives us printable coloring pages featuring both of them.

8. Portuguese Tile Printing Activity

Today, azulejos are known as a form of Portuguese art, which is why they’re on this list of Portugal crafts for kids! However, they are inspired by the blue and white ceramic art of Islamic architecture, known as zellij. Pincelando Arte com Simony gives us an interesting tile-printing activity so we can create our own version.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo Printable Jigsaw Puzzle

If there’s any name that’s synonymous with Portuguese soccer, it has to be Cristiano Ronaldo! He is the captain of the Portugal national team and is the highest-ever goal scorer in the history of men’s soccer. He also has 668 million Instagram followers, making him the most-followed person on the app today! There is even a museum in his name, the CR7 Museum, at his birthplace in Madeira. Grab this fun Ronald0-themed puzzle from Twinkl and try putting it together!

10. Portuguese Sardines Acrylic Painting

Earlier in this list of Portugal crafts for kids, we mentioned how fish is a big deal for the Portuguese, especially sardines. Sardines thrived in the favorable conditions of Portuguese water bodies, making them an abundant and practical food for people from all classes. Sardines also featured in art, especially in artist Bordallo Pinheiro’s works. There’s also a saying in Portugal: ‘To pull the embers for one’s sardines’, which means to protect one’s interests. Learn more about sardines in Portuguese culture as you try this canned sardines art project from Ambidextrous Art!

11. Portuguese Azulejos Yarn Art

All Done Monkey has another project that features azulejos art, using yarn. As Portuguese colonies spread across the world, azulejos began to be produced outside Portugal. Besides art, Portuguese explorers also took their ingredients to the places they visited, like potatoes and tomatoes to India, coffee to Brazil and tempura to Japan. The Portuguese language also became popular outside the country in regions like Macau and Goa, even becoming an official language in places like Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique.

12. Our Lady Of Fatima Printable Craft

Eight out of ten people in Portugal are Roman Catholic, which means it’s time to feature a Catholic celebration in this list of Portugal crafts for kids! Besides Easter and Christmas, Saints’ days are popular in Portugal, particularly Saint Fatima Day. Our Lady of Fatima is another name for the Virgin Mary, and centers around the shrine of Fátima in Portugal. It is believed that the Virgin Mary appeared at this spot to three young shepherds in 1917. You can learn more about this shrine with a beautiful craft from Catholic Icing.

13. Rooster of Barcelos Cardboard Craft

This list of Portugal crafts for kids has already mentioned the Barcelos Rooster, but do you know the story behind it? The story goes like this: A man was accused of stealing silver from a landowner in Barcelos. Despite the man’s pleas that he was innocent, he was arrested and taken to a judge. The judge was in the middle of a meal, and the prisoner pointed to a roasted rooster and said that if he was innocent, the rooster would come to life and crow when he was hanged. The judge ignored the man and sentenced him to death. However, as soon as he was hanged, the rooster stood up and crowed. Luckily, the knot was loose, and the man escaped a ghastly fate! Due to this, the Barcelos rooster became associated with good luck, justice and faith. Enjoy this story as you make a colorful rooster craft from Tea Collection.

14. Paper Azulejos Craft

Glitches and Stitches shows us how to create some gorgeous patterns similar to azulejo tiles. In Portugal, these tiles feature geometric patterns or even historical or religious scenes. In some homes, these tiles were believed to help control the internal temperature.

15. Pastel de Nata Painting Tutorial

One thing any tourist to Portugal will have on their bucket list is to eat a Portuguese egg custard tart, also known as a Pastéis de Nata. This dessert, among others, was created by a family in Lisbon, and they’ve kept the recipe a secret all these years! Cutesy I Am shows us how we can paint our own egg tarts with a video tutorial.

There you go – a bunch of fun Portugal crafts for kids to learn about this cool country! We hope that all the little tidbits of information included here will encourage kids to do some exploration on their own and read about the country. One day, when they’re ready, they can visit the place themselves and see how amazing it really is!

If you’d like to learn about other European nations, check these out: