Super Mario Learning Activities

It’s a little funny to me that the Super Mario Bros. movie has been such a huge hit, since I was a kid when the video games first came out. But if you’ve got a kiddo (or a classroom) that’s into these fun characters, now would be a great time to introduce some Super Mario learning activities.

Blooming Brilliant has a great collection of Mario related printable learning activities she made for her son when he was 6. This set includes everything from prewriting and handwriting practice to cutting, coloring, math, matching, I spy and more. Best yet, you can download the whole pack for free when you sign up for her emails.

TotSchooling has a great collection of printable Mario character color by number worksheets, where the pictures emerge as you color in the pixels of the grid.

Rock Your Homeschool has another set of Super Mario learning activities, including printable bookmarks, line tracing, mazes, an I-spy and a graph based on that game.

Grab some Mario coloring pages from Activity Mom, or 15 Mario-themed writing prompts for kids from And Next Comes L. Paper Trail Design has another printable I-spy page, and don’t miss the Super Mario cootie catcher download from Rock Your Homeschool.

Did you know there’s actually a Mario Day? I didn’t know until just now! Apparently, it’s March 10, which is Mario’s birthday. Learn more Mario related trivia and get some ideas for your own Mario Day celebration any time of year from Homeschool Super Freak.

And of course, a celebration needs some crafts if you ask me, so be sure to check out these Mario Day craft ideas collected by Artsy Craftsy Mom. There’s an awesome board game, a printable 3-D garland, and this cool knock ’em down game from Instructables, which might remind parents of a certain age of another throwback game we used to play!

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The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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