Dia de los Muertos Crafts and Activities

a deLast month I shared a review of The Dia de los Muertos Story and I wanted to share some more activities you can do at home or in classroom around the holiday.

First off, if you want to learn more about the traditions and symbols surrounding dia de los muertos, there’s a good post at Llamitas Spanish (the post is in English) that includes activity ideas, authentic videos to help kids learn and more.

Teachers Pay Teachers has lots of great content for the day. A couple I ran into include this skull writing template in both English and Spanish that also includes blank prompts so you can write your own questions (this one is from Sra Cruz) and these activities for middle school including close reading, comprehension activities and more, which you can read about at Creative Classroom Core or buy direct from TpT.

Skeletons are a popular symbol of the day since it’s all about remembering and honoring people who have died, but they’re generally cute because it’s not meant to be scary. Red Ted Art has a set of printable skeleton puppets with joints so you can pose the arms and legs in different ways. They also have accessories you can mix and match so each person can make their own design.

This little nicho box from Happy Thought is another easy craft you can make and use to talk about loved ones who have died. There is one printable version that is free to download and others you can purchase (along with other activities) if you want more variety.

Hola Jalapeno has a recipe for making your own sugar skulls (which are not for eating because they’re decorated with non-food things). You’ll need a skull mold for these, but if you want to do this activity year after year it’s worth it to have one or several.

If you want a dia de los muertos treat you can eat, try pan de muerto, a sweet and savory bread that’s a classic this time of year. Latino Foodie has a good recipe. Be aware that because this is a yeast bread it’s not a quick project, but it’s a great one to make at home.

Check out more dia de los muertos activities here.

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

Have you read?

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