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.

Next Plan Idea:

Dia de los Muertos for Kids

Human brains are pretty amazing, allowing us to think, feel, create, communicate, move and more. But humans aren’t the only animals with cool brains, as Crab Museum explains in the book The No-Brainer Brain Explainer (illustrated by Bruno Valasse).

This book, aimed at kids in grades 1-4, is colorful and silly but also educational about how brains actually work, with billions of neurons sending electrical and chemical signals around the body.

“Everything we think, feel and experience comes from an electrical relay race, with neurons passing chemical batons to each other,” the book says. “The constant chatter of billions of brain cells creates your entire world.”

The book compares the brains of mammals to those of crabs (the book is “written” by a crab after all) and notes that crabs have fewer neurons and of course are much smaller, but they have separate parts of their brains that control their eyes and their legs. Crabs are also capable of remembering things, using tools and solving puzzles.

Some animals’ brains allow them to know more about their world in different ways from humans, such as spiders being sensitive to vibrations in their webs and catfish having an amazing sense of taste, with taste sensors all over their bodies.

It notes that 95 percent of brain activity goes toward things we do unconsciously, like breathing, walking and catching a ball flying toward us. It also talks about dreams, memory, how our emotions try to predict the future, where brains came from and fun facts about brains. For example, did you know a sperm whale is believed to have the biggest brain of any creature that’s even lived? Their brains weigh 18 pounds, compared to just 2.5 pounds for humans.

Information on what creatures have the smallest brains, the toughest brains, the most brains and those who actually eat their own brains will delight kids (and maybe gross them out a little bit). They’ll also enjoy learning about the mycelium network of fungi, which is like a brain without a body, and slime molds, which are like a brain without a brain.

It ends talking about why human brains are so special because we’ve found ways to work together, communicate and build communities on a scale bigger than any other animal.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this colorful, silly and informational book about brains!

About the book: 64 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $19.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply