Have you ever heard of the “Day of the Dead?” Also called Día de los Muertos (by Spanish speakers in the US) or Día de Muertos (in Mexico), it is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, other countries in Latin America, some places in the US with large Hispanic populations, some countries in Europe, and the Philippines.
Originally based on the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, combined with Aztec indigenous rituals, “Day of the Dead” is a day to remember loved ones who have died, often commemorated with visits to the cemetery. Families often light candles at the graves and leave offerings of food, drinks, and flowers (especially marigolds, “cempasúchiles“), or for children, sweets and toys. Many people also make an altar in their home, dedicated to their loved ones who have passed away.
Here are resources to learn about this important holiday with your kids, plus discover Day of the Dead crafts you can make at home or school!
Free Day of the Dead Coloring Sheet
Skulls out of Packing Peanuts.
Read Books about Day of the Dead
Calavera Alphabet Book & Activity
Day of the Dead Shrinky Dink Jewelry
Color by Number (in Spanish!) Calaca!
Candied Pumpkin for Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead Video and Activities
Why so many skeletons and skulls?
Learn Spanish with a Day of the Dead Photo
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Becky Morales shares activities to teach kids global and cultural awareness at KidWorldCitizen.org. She also recently co-authored a book for parents and teachers called the Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners, with hundreds of activities and resources to expand young minds and go global. She is the mother of 4 active, multicultural, and bilingual kids who keep her busy and laughing.
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I love those cork skulls! Thank you for the resources.
WOW !!! talk about someone getting into the day of the dead, love that shrine 🙂 thanks for sharing with us @tisonlyme143
Wonderful post! We love Day of the Dead here and think it is a really interesting day. Thank you so much for posting our cork skulls!
I love the shrinky jewellery! 🙂
What a great collection of crafts for Day of the Dead! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!
Day of the Dead is one of my all time favorite celebrations – and we are constantly learning about celebrations around the world! Great round up, will be using a few ideas for this year’s celebration 🙂
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