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Check out MommyMaestra's Pinterest board on Día de los Muertos.
Day of the Dead Lesson Plans
- By far, one of the best curriculum units has been created by Lori Langer de Ramirez, creator of MisCositas. It is geared for third year (intermediate) Spanish students. This is a comprehensive unit with 63 pages of activities, vocabulary, and more.
- New Mexico Junior College Museum has shared this downloadable lesson plan for K - 2nd grades that comes from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
- Vanderbilt's College of Arts & Sciences has this Day of the Dead lesson plan available for 3rd through 12th grades (designed for 5th grade).
- World Language Cafe has these 9 Day of the Dead Spanish activities and lesson plans.
- Lesson Planet has 26 lessons related to Dia de los Muertos that you can scroll through. Each description includes the grade level and a rating. The downside is that you have to create an account, but you can get a free trial period for 10 days.
- And MommyMaestra has several articles with a list of resources, including a brief history of Día de los Muertos for children, as well as information on José Guadalupe Posada.
Family-Friendly Day of the Dead Websites
- MisCositas.com also has a virtual webquest with lots of links and ideas. You may also be interested in her virtual picture book: Mi abuela ya no está: Un cuento acerca de la celebración del Día de los Muertos en México
- Author/Illustrator Yuyi Morales also has a few excellent activities that can be used in conjunction with one of her Trickster books, and she also has a downloadable Teacher’s Guide.
- Inside Mexico has a great list of articles on a variety of subjects.
Day of the Dead Apps
- Forgotten Tales: Day of the Dead gives the traditional solitaire game an epic twist! You can even play it on your computer if you have a STEAM account.
- Rosita y Conchita app - still the best, in my opinion.
- Hippo: Game Day of the Dead is also a fun introduction to the holiday and very kid friendly.
Books
- Here is a list of my favorite children's books about Day of the Dead
- Be sure to check out the
newchildren's picture book, Rosita y Conchita, which describes Día de los Muertos with an accurate description of the altar and the ofrenda, as well as the reason for them. Possibly the best children's picture book on this subject.
Día de los Muertos Printables
- First! Download your FREE Day of the Dead Activity Calendar
- Are you building your own ofrenda this year? Why not download my printable ofrenda labels to help explain the elements on your table to visitors? It even includes free-standing labels to place next to framed photos of loved ones, with space to write their name, relationship, and likes/hobbies.
- Check out all of my Day of the Dead printables! From notecards to minibooks to triptych activities, I have you covered!
- Do you have older students? Let them try their hand at creating their own Calavera Poetry.
- The Muppets has put out a super cute coloring page of Kermit in honor of Día de los Muertos.
- ESOL Courses has quite a few free worksheets & exercises on Día de los Muertos
- HelloKids.com has a nice collection of coloring pages.
Crafts & Supplies
- Check out this DIY Catrina craft for kids!
- Don't miss this list of 10 Videos for Kids on How to Draw Sugar Skulls. It has a nice variety of projects for kids of different skill levels.
- Here's an easy way to make your own Calavera Pumpkin!
- Don't miss the Crafty Chica's directions for creating your own felt Día de los Muertos banner. It is super cute! She also has this video for easy step-by-step instructions on making your own shrine-on-a-stick, as well as ways to modify the craft into other decorative ideas:
- MexicanSugarSkull.com (singular- no “s”) This site will amaze you. Trust me.
- The Calavera Kit comes with a detailed description of the holiday, suggested reading, additional resources, ways to supplement the craft, as well as the painted papier-maché skull, design patterns, and markers that allow children to decorate their own sugar skull.
- And check out my post on how to make tissue paper marigolds, my free coloring page, and my calavera craft kit.
- Take a look at this set of 30 sugar skulls from TeachersDiscovery.com (comes with 3 different designs).
- Creative Kismet has a tutorial for creating your own Day of the Dead planters. My kids made miniature pots and loved them!
- Learn Create Love has a fun printable craft that allows your kid to decorate their own Day of the Dead skull
- Deep Space Sparkle has a several fun Día de los Muertos activities for kids.
Videos
- "Oaxaca: The Day of the Dead" A beautiful video describing how the holiday is celebrated in Mexico
- "Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Decorating Party" One of Muy Bueno Cookbook's high-quality short films on the holiday. A must-watch for students.
- "Dia De Los Muertos" from Whoo Kazoo - Such a lovely, animated short film on the holiday!
- Las calaveras están de fiesta from MisCositas!
- El Día de los Muertos en Mexico this is my favorite documentary for this holiday. Go watch! Best for older children in middle and high school.
- Global Wonders —Their short animated video shares what the holiday is all about.
- Dia de los Muertos: Young People's Ofrenda – This is a beautiful short video about a collaborative project of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and El Colegio charter school.
- Los esqueletos —Teach your kids to count in Spanish with this super cute video. (Listen for the singer's Castillian accent.)
- Viva Calacas — I found this video on SpanglishBaby.com. It is my favorite so far! Parents and children both will love this short video from art director and designer Ritxi Ostáriz.
Additional Resources
Check out MommyMaestra's Pinterest board on Día de los Muertos.
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