“At first glance, the Mexican custom of El Día de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead — may sound much like the U.S. custom of Halloween. After all, the celebration traditionally starts at midnight the night of Oct. 31, and the festivities are abundant in images related to death.

But the customs have different origins, and their attitudes toward death are different: In the typical Halloween festivities, death is something to be feared. But in el día de los muertos, death — or at least the memories of those who have died — is something to be celebrated.” via SpanishAbout.com

Though we don’t celebrate this holiday in our family it intrigues me and I’m definitely a big believer in educating my children about the world around us even if we don’t necessarily hold to those traditions or beliefs.  What I really like about this holiday is how death is not something to be feared but something to be celebrated.  I definitely want to lean in the direction of celebrating over fear.

Here’s a fun Day of the Dead activity you can share with you class or children as you discover and explore the Latino culture. Note every culture celebrates it differently and in Mexico there is a big emphasis on the colorful skull art.

Supplies:

• contact paper
• masking tape
• tissue paper
• Day of the Dead skeleton (from Spanish Playground) or these boy and girl calacas.

1. I printed off this lovely printable and traced it onto the contact paper with it still in tact.  I left out some of the details as you can see but you can get as detailed as you wish. If your child is older let them trace it. My little one is two so I did the tracing.

2. Then adhere the shiny side of your contact paper to a window by slowly peeling it off and using masking tape around the edges.

3. Then let your child enjoy filling it in with tissue paper.

My two year old really enjoyed this activity.

¡Ha llegado ya!, el día de los muertos hay que festejar. Well, it’s almost here. Day of the Dead is celebrated November 1st and 2nd. To get the excitement going we are sharing this coloring story book in Spanish with you! The book introduces kids to basic Day of the Dead vocabulary. Just print it, have your kids color it and then follow the instructions to fold it into a story book. Perfect for home or the classroom!

Click here for a printable version of the previewed coloring story book above. 

For more Spanish educational materials for niños visit Monarca Language and like them on Facebook.

And for more Day of the Dead finds, crafts, printables and recipes visit our Celebrate Día de Muertos page!

Contrary to what many could think judging by its name, el Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is mostly a celebration of life. It is a time where we honor and remember our loved ones that have passed away and we do so by celebrating with joy the memory of their lives. In Mexico, colorful altars are created either at home or the cemetery. These altars include skulls and other symbols that represent death but they are lively decorated, full of color and cheerful details, as the idea is to bring to life the positive memories we have of those who have died. Personal objects, mementos, pictures and even favorite foods of the deceased are placed as part of the altar. The whole family gets creative thinking of ways the altar can best represent the memories of those that have passed on and are held near and dear to their hearts. As much importance is placed on creativity, I wanted to share an edible idea that is meant to get your creative juices flowing: Día de los Muertos Sandwich Art.

The shape of traditional sandwich bread is close to the shape of a skull, so just like decorating cookie skulls, you can decorate a piece of bread to make fun and creative sandwiches or toast. This is a great idea to involve your kids and to allow them to learn more about the traditions, but also to become part of the celebration. If you do not partake in the creation of an altar at home but do want make sure your family knows about this celebration, why not try this edible activity for breakfast, lunch or snack time, while telling stories about the lives of our loved muertos.

Here are a few Día de los Muertos sandwich art ideas but remember the possibilities are endless.

Using an apple corer or simply a knife, make two holes on a piece of bread to resemble the eyes. Do the same for the nose and mouth. Spread peanut butter and jelly on another slice of bread and top it off with the cutout sliced so that the jelly shows out, adding color to the face of the skull.

If you want to get even more creative, make an open face sandwich. Have various types of nuts, candy, and fruit on hand and on a slice of bread, use a smooth spread of your choice. The spread will work as a glue that will hold together your work of art. This is a good idea for a sweet treat or snack.

For a healthier version, spread cream cheese to create a blank canvas. Use cold cuts, sliced cheese and veggies to cut out shapes that will give life to the skull.

Over the years, Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, has been making its way to the United States and being embraced by all cultures. All Latin American countries celebrate Nov. 1st and 2nd as Día de Muertos or Día de los Difuntos, but most observe it as a somber day of remembrance of those that passed before us. Mexico, on the other hand, has imbued the celebration with rich symbolism and a festive environment that conceives death as a normal part of life. They also believe that those that have passed before us should be remembered with joy.

In Mexico, Day of the Dead is full of color, symbolism and rich aromas coming from the various typical foods prepared for the occasion. The belief is our muertos (deceased) will visit us during these days to enjoy the foods, drinks and objects they enjoyed in life and are left in an altar for their annual visit.

Altars adorn houses and public spaces and can get very extravagant. Marigold flowers, sugar skulls, candles, papel picado and picture frames, along with food and drinks, can be found on every altar. Each altar is its own work of art.

Día de Muertos is such a beautiful way to teach our children about something as essential as death, a topic that is often difficult to approach, but that all kids wonder about at one point or another. Embrace this holiday to teach your kids that death is nothing to be scared about and we can even be playful about it. Crafts and art are an ideal way to celebrate Día de Muertos.

Click here are 15 festive and colorful Día de Muertos crafts your kids will love doing with you.