Day Of The Dead Activities
Do you know what Day of the Dead is? If you have seen the movie Coco and would like to learn more about this beautiful celebration, keep on reading! To make this celebration more fun, we made beautiful printables with interesting Day of the Dead facts for kids!
These Day of the Dead printables are a great way to learn about this beautiful celebration!
The Day of the Dead, called Día de Muertos in Spanish, is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. And although it might sound like a sad day, it's nothing like that at all!
Day of the Dead is also known as:
- All soul's day
- All Saint's day
While in Spanish it's known as:
- Día de los muertos
- Día de los angelitos
- Día de todos los Santos
It's time to celebrate! Day of the Dead is a celebration of life and death.
This festival is celebrated to remember loved ones who have died but in a respectful and joyful way. It's a great way to help people accept and deal with the idea of death.
Although it sounds like the opposite, it's actually a celebration of life, and it helps people appreciate it more.
Day of the Dead is a colorful festivity that everyone can celebrate.
It's a vibrant day to celebrate the existence of life and death and can be celebrated by everyone, niños y niñas (children) included. Isn't that nice?
What is the history behind Dia de Muertos?
From NatGeo: "Day of the Dead originated several thousand years ago with the Aztec, Toltec, and other Nahua people, who considered mourning the dead disrespectful. For these pre-Hispanic cultures, death was a natural phase in life’s long continuum. The dead were still members of the community, kept alive in memory and spirit—and during Día de los Muertos, they temporarily returned to Earth.
Today’s Día de los Muertos celebration is a mash-up of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Christian feasts."
If you want to read more about the history behind Dia de muertos, visit History's website!
Day of the Dead shares history with modern Catholicism! Did you know it takes place on November 1 and 2, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on the Catholic calendar?
Day of the Dead activities for kids
Celebrations start at home! That's why we love making creative holiday activities ideas that you can make together with your little ones! Valentines day, Halloween, Christmas, 4th of July, and more... We have fun crafts for every celebration!
Kids love coloring pages! These Day of the Dead coloring sheets are perfect for a rainy afternoon at home.
Start your Día de Muertos celebration with our printables facts; put down the textbook and get some hands-on learning through play! Learning activities have never been so colorful and fun before!
Creating and building are one of our favorite ways to keep kids busy and engaged, so it's no surprise that we love printable crafts for kids. You will find 5-minute crafts that you can make with supplies you probably already own!
All about ofrendas!
Ofrendas are an essential part of the Day of the Dead celebrations. The word ofrenda means offering in Spanish. They are set up to remember and honor the memory of their ancestors, a family member, a teacher, or even a celebrity!
Ofrendas welcome the souls who come back to visit their loved ones, and they have food and photographs that represent them.
Each part of the ofrenda has a very important meaning. From marigold flowers to sugar skulls, photographs and papel picado, the altar is one of the most important parts of the celebration!
Flor de muerto, or marigold flowers use their color and scent to guide the spirits to their respective altars during Dia de los Muertos.
Pan de muerto is a delicious soft bread placed at altars for hungry souls.
Sugar skulls are more than just delicious sweets. They are made for families, "families" in Spanish, to decorate their loved ones' ofrendas with both large and small sugar skulls.
Sugar skulls represent seres queridos (loved ones) but they are also delicious food that is eaten during Day of the Dead.
You can read more about the meaning of parts of the ofrenda on the Smithsonian Magazine website!
Dia de los muertos printables
We love printables here at Kids Activities Blog! We made a Day of the dead printable pack with 3 pages filled with colorful facts.
This unique printable is free and can be printed at home in minutes!
We made a full-color printable pack as well as a black and white one for little ones who enjoy coloring pages. Both are equally fun, interesting, and completely free!
Download here:
Full-color Day of the Dead Printables
Black and White Day of the Dead Printables
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- These sugar skull coloring pages for kids are adorable!
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