In your classroom, your students come from varied backgrounds and celebrate different holidays. Dia de Los Muertos is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated by many people in Mexico and people of Mexican descent living in the United States. You can help your students celebrate and understand this holiday with Dia de Los Muertos activities.
Dia de Los Muertos is a holiday where families welcome back the souls of their dead relatives into their homes. They celebrate their lives with lots of special food, drink, and family time. Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated every year from October 31st through November 2nd. Mexican tradition says that the souls of the dead are released from their resting place at midnight on October 31st and are able to rejoin their families for 24 hours.
Books to Teach About Dia de Los Muertos
While there are many Dia de Los Muertos children’s activities, some of my favorite resources to teach students about the Day of the Dead are books. Any chance we get to read aloud in our classrooms is a great day, but it’s even better when we are learning new things simultaneously!
Dia de Los Muertos by Roseanne Greenfield Thong is a book written with rhyme and rhythm to captivate the attention of a young audience. The author walks through what preparation for the Day of the Dead looks like throughout the whole town using Spanish vocabulary to teach your students all about this amazing holiday.
Día de Los Muertos (Celebrate the World) by Hannah Eliot is another great Dia de Los Muertos kindergarten activity for your classroom. Time with family and remembering family that has passed on from this life is an important part of the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos.
Day of the Dead by Tony Johnston is a book that will walk your students through what it looks like to prepare for and celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico. This story will capture the interest of your young learners and is an excellent Dia de Los Muertos kindergarten activity that will introduce your students to Dia de Los Muertos.
Videos to Teach About Dia de Los Muertos
Videos about Dia de Los Muertos are my favorite option for teaching kindergarteners about this enchanting Mexican holiday. From full-length features it will take days to watch in your classroom to short clips, there are many great options.
Coco is an excellent movie created by Disney that is all about the Day of the Dead. It’s time for Dia de Los Muertos, but young Miguel doesn’t care about the holiday and family traditions, he just wants to be a musician. After going to the land of the dead and meeting some of his family there, Miguel learns how important family traditions are. (This is a great movie for kids, but it’s great for adults, too! If you haven’t seen Coco yet, watch it today! It’s one of my favorite movies!)
This short YouTube video is a great Dia de Los Muertos children’s activity. Elena of Avalor is a Disney Junior show that shares a celebration of Dia de Los Muertos. This fun clip does a great job explaining the celebration and the history of this Mexican holiday.
Another Dia de Los Muertos kindergarten activity video is a clip of the Nickelodeon show Casagrandes. This show features children learning about the Day of the Dead from their family members and joining in the traditions of preparing to welcome the family back to their home.
A resource to Teach About Dia de Los Muertos
After you’ve taught your students a little bit about this great holiday with the books and video Dia de Los Muertos activities, you’ll need something to help them retain the new information. One of my favorite resources for this is the Dia de Los Muertos Kindergarten Activities. This resource is full of lessons to complement the history and cultural aspects of the Day of the Dead. There are ways to incorporate language arts, math, science, social studies, and art into your Dia de Los Muertos classroom celebration.
Celebrating the Holiday
It is important to teach about holidays and celebrations that are important to people all over the world. By introducing new and different cultures to your students, you are enriching their learning and broadening their global perspective. Using these books, videos, and Dia de Los Muertos activities and resources, you are helping your students learn more about the world and the different cultures that call our Earth home.
Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated from October 31st through November 2nd, but we know that there are more holidays and cultural celebrations just around the corner. Get ready for Thanksgiving in your classroom by reading all about Thanksgiving Turkey Craft and Thanksgiving Food Projects for the Classroom to get a jump start on the rest of the month. I also have a FREEBIE to prepare your students for the theme of thankfulness with this Past vs. Present Freebie Resource!
