worry dolls
As part of our Discovering Guatemala with Kids Series we made the Guatemalan worry dolls also known as muñecas quitapenas in Spanish.

Worrydolls: What are they?

They are traditional Guatemalan toys, and according to legend children tell one worry to each doll when they go to bed at night and place the dolls under their pillow. In the morning the dolls have taken their worries away.

Worrydolls: DIY Instructions

I followed the instructions on how to make the worry dolls from Creativity in Motion.  She has a step-by-step picture instructions that was very helpful.

I bought wooden clothespin, colorful yarn, and I already had the pipe cleaners.  The kids were indeed excited to make them, but after wrapping the yarn halfway they got tired. (So I suggest this activity for older kids) They each picked a color and made their worry dolls.  My son made one with pants because it was a boy, and the girls made theirs with skirts. Cute!

You can also try making the worry dolls entirely of pipe cleaners (chenille stems) click here for the instructions.

Worrydolls: The finished dolls

We’ve been having so much fun learning about Guatemala!

Teaching about Guatemala? Check out this country unit study in English and Spanish:

Guatemala country unit

Guatemala: Additional Resources

Guatemalan Barrilete for the Day of the Dead

Celebrate Guatemala’s and Mexico’s Fiestas Patrias with Two Colorful Rice Crafts

Authentic Guatemalan Dresses for Girls; Trajes de Chichi

Guatemala ABC’s and Mayan Tales Children’s Book

Discovering Guatemala with Kids Series: Chichcastenango de Santo Tomás

Spread the love
6    
6
Shares

6 Comments

  1. I'm dropping in from the Multicultural Kids Blog Hop. What a good idea for worry dolls. I think that my almost five year old could do this and would enjoy it 🙂

  2. Hi fishbowlfortune! So happy that you stopped by! Your 5 yr. old will definitely enjoy making these. 🙂





Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.