12+ Alebrije Crafts for Kids in English & Spanish

If you are on the lookout for fun and educational craft ideas, you’ve landed in the right spot! Here are 10+ Alebrije crafts for kids - learn how to make them for a school or home art project.

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Who created alebrijes?

Alebrijes, with their vibrant colors and fantastical shapes, originate from Mexican folk art and have captured hearts worldwide. They were created by Mexican artist Pedro Linares López in the 1930s. Linares, a papier-mâché artist, was bedridden with a high fever and had a vivid dream in which he saw strange, fantastical creatures. When he recovered, he began recreating these creatures out of papier-mâché, calling them "alebrijes." The creatures often combine features from various animals and are painted in vibrant, surreal colors. The tradition of making alebrijes has since become a significant part of Mexican folk art.

A Mexican Tradition

As you can read above, this art form is less than 100 years old. In fact, when I was growing up, we didn't really keep alebrijes in our home. I would see them at fairs or when we traveled to Mexico, but they were more pieces of art that you saw in different venues. They became a lot more well known after the Disney/Pixar movie, Coco, featured them as being spirit guides in the Land of the Dead. And today, many people collect these unusual statue-like creatures.

Alebrije Kid Crafts

In this blog post, there are 12+ delightful and kid-friendly crafts inspired by these whimsical creatures. These easy-to-follow tutorials will help children craft their very own alebrijes, fostering artistic expression and cultural appreciation. I encourage you to nurture your children's creativity and urge them to bring to life whatever their imagination comes up with.

So, gather your supplies and let your child’s creativity soar with these perfect Alebrijes crafts!

Gather Your Art Supplies

Before you get started, first decide on the tutorial you'll be using. Then go ahead and get all your art supplies together. Here are some of the supplies used in the following art lessons:

• Newspaper
• Masking Tape
• Construction Paper
• Glitter
• Glue (Liquid or Stick)
• Scissors
• Paint and Brushes

How to Make Your Own Alebrije Videos for Younger Kids

The first one comes from Art With Trista. In this quick video, she shows how to create an alebrije collage. This is perfect for all ages, but younger children may or may not need help drawing their alebrije.

Then, Amber Heigl will walk us through some simple steps to create our own paper alebrijes. This craft is ideal for all ages. This craft is explained in a two-part video. Here is Part 2.

In the next video, the Teaching Artist Cassie Smith will describe THREE different art projects that can be done with alebrijes (Pop-Up Alebrije Card, Alebrije Story Board, and Alebrije Found Objects Sculptures) on the Austin Parks and Recreation channel. These are easy to do for a school project or at home, and are also separated in age groups, even though they can be adapted to fit any age group.

Next, we have a two-part video on Alebrije Sculpture Crumpled Paper Tutorial for Kids from Miss Annis, who gives us a tutorial on how to make an alebrije sculpture from crumpled paper. Part 1 is shown above. Here is Part 2.

This video from the National City Public Library gives us a quick visual explanation on how to create an alebrije craft. This is perfect for ages 10+, and an activity for the entire family.

Alebrije Video Tutorials for Older Children

For older children who are willing to experiment with some more challenging supplies, this video from Melissa Offutt gives us a fast explanation on how to make an alebrije with papier-mâché. 

Another, more advanced project comes from Ana Gabriela López Castro, who gives us a 7-minute tutorial on how to build the alebrije’s structure with papier-mâché. This tutorial is shown in fast motion to include all the steps needed to build the structure. 

In the next video, Elizabeth Smetana walks you through the process of sketching and combining two animals into one alebrije creature. This is a set of two-part video. Here is Part 2.

On this final video in English, Eagle Art Studio with Mrs. Pérez, we can follow the simple steps to make a sturdy stencil for an alebrije. This is a three-part video. (Part 2 / Part 3)

The next video is from IDEART Classroom, where we can watch how some high school students created some alebrijes sculptures for their Day of the Dead altar. This video shows a vast collection of these 3D alebrijes. Even though this is not a tutorial, it can give you lots of ideas on how to create your own alebrijes sculptures. 

Alebrije Video Tutorials in Spanish

To create an alebrije with materials that we have at home, we can watch SECVER Oficial. There we can watch a tutorial on how to create this craft at home.

I also really love this tutorial from Kraft Toon! This video teaches kids who to make a moving alebrije out of recycled materials. It's adorable, easy, and FUN!

And here's another one from Kraft Toon. This one is even easier to make, in my opinion, and still super fun and colorful. 

 

And here is one for making a frog alebrije. I like this one best because it is super simple and easy enough for even a little child to make. And if you like these video tutorials, I encourage you to check out Kraft Toons' channel because they have a lot more alebrije videos for different skill levels.