Egyptian Mummification Craft Activities for Kids
Updated: Mar 4
Mummification is one of the most fascinating topics to learn about in Ancient Egyptian history. And there is no better way to discover the intricacies of this process than becoming an Egyptian Embalmer and doing it for yourself (in craft style, of course!)
The Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died their spirit travelled to the afterlife. But their body would need to be perfectly preserved for their spirit to return occasionally for sustenance. This is why they mummified their dead and placed them in a tomb, to provide the spirit (or Ka) with a haven on its long journey to the afterlife. Their tomb would need to be filled with all of the valuables they wished to take with them to the afterlife (perhaps a chariot to ride on, or your favourite toy to play with). But mummification was an expensive process, so mostly it was just the Pharaoh and wealthy nobles that were mummified.
Want to find out more, check out our guide to Ancient Egyptian Mummification!
Let's get started!
1. Mummify the Pharaoh
Unless you happen to know any recently deceased Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, it might be worth finding a craft-worthy alternative for this first step. We recommend using an old Barbie doll to mummify.
Extra Info:
If you're not clued up on the full Egyptian embalming process, first check out our simple guide to Ancient Egyptian Mummification.
Craft:
Wondering how to do all this on a Barbie doll? Panic not! Just Call Me Jamin takes you through what to do in this fun interactive activity here:
2. Crafting Canopic Jars
After the organs were removed from the Pharaoh's body, they were often placed in special sacred containers called Canopic Jars. These four jars protected the organs and each had a different animal head to represent the Sons of Horus.
It was essential that the right organ was placed in the right jar to make sure it was properly protected.
Craft:
Create four Canopic Jars of your own out of Yogurt Pots & Air Dry Modelling Clay in this fun craft activity:
3. Design a Sarcophagus
Once the Pharaoh was properly embalmed and wrapped in linen, he/she would be placed in a Sarcophagus. These were often elaborately decorated with paint and inscribed with hieroglyphics.
Craft:
To design your own Sarcophagus, first cut out and glue together this handy coffin box template to place your Mummified Pharaoh/Barbie inside:
Colour:
Then print out and colour in your own Sarcophagus lid (making sure to use lots of gold!) from Kids Puzzles and Games:
Once you've completed your design, cut out the Sarcophagus lid and glue it on top of the box containing your Mummified Pharaoh/Barbie.
4. Make Your Pharaoh Some Treasure
A Pharaoh's tomb would be packed full of all of his earthly valuables and treasures. The Egyptian's believed that items placed in the tomb could be used by the Pharaoh in the afterlife.
Craft:
Make your Mummified Pharaoh/Barbie some treasure to pop in her tomb and take to the afterlife.
Craft this stunning Cobra Staff using just cardboard, papier mache and paint!
Why not go the extra mile and bury your newly mummified doll in the backyard with all the valuables she would need to take to the afterlife? Then play tomb raiders and dig her back up again before the dog sniffs her out and gets there first!
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Further Reading from the Imagining History blog:
