Dia de los Muertos is one of my favorite cultural traditions to celebrate with my children. This year, we're working on making an altar for my dad, their abuelito, who passed away 10 years ago and whom my kids didn't have the fortune to meet. But if an altar is too much for your family, here are 13 awesome Day of the Dead crafts you can work on to celebrate this very special day.
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Chalkboard vases
Learn how to make this super cute and not too difficult chalkboard vases with calacas, which are perfect if you're making an altar, like I am!
Candy holders
It's can't get any easier than this: use plastic Easter eggs for these Dia de los Muertos candy holders. Love it!
Cardboard skulls
This cardboard skulls seem like a fairly easy craft to make with kids. I love how colorful they are!
Balloons
My kids LOVE balloons and I think these Day of Dead decorated balloons will be a hit at home!
Shrines on a stick
There's a ton of Dia de los Muertos crafts on Kathy Murillo's Crafty Chica blog, but these shrines on a stick are my favorite.
Sugar skull pumpkins
I just showed this sugar skull pumpkin to my 8-year-old daughter and she absolutely loved it, so we'll be attempting to do one!
Marigolds
Marigolds (cempasúchil in Spanish) are the traditional flowers used to decorate altars for Day of the Dead. This tutorial will show you how to make marigolds out of tissue paper.
3D Calavera masks
All you need for this amanzgly awesome 3D calavera masks is a printer. Can't get any easier than that, right?
Shoebox altar
If you don't want to make a full-blown altar, then a shoebox altar is the way to go. We did this our first time around and my kids loved working on it.
Skulls on stones
My kids love collecting rocks and stones of all shapes and sizes, so painting skulls on stones would be the perfect craft for them.
Garland
This Day of the Dead garland is perfect to use as decoration for a party.
Papel picado
If you do anything this Dia de los Muertos, learn how to make papel picado with your kids. I promise you'll have a ton of fun and the end result will be beautiful!
Printables
Coloring is always fun for little ones and these free printable from Mundo Lanugo includes a beautiful coloring page perfect for Dia de los Muertos.