The Paloma PostDía de Muertos for Kids: A Simple Guide for Families (+ Free Printables)
By Elisabet Roc, M.Ed.
Every year on November 1 and 2, families across Mexico, and Mexican families around the world, set out candles, marigolds, photos and favorite foods to welcome the spirits of people they love who have passed. It's called Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead.
You don't need to speak Spanish to learn about it together. Here's a simple guide: what the day is about, how it's different from Halloween, seven words to read with your child and free printables to make it hands-on.
What is Día de Muertos?
Día de Muertos is a time to remember and celebrate loved ones who have passed. It's joyful, not scary: for two days, families believe the spirits of their loved ones come home to visit.
- November 1 is often set aside for children.
- November 2 is for adults.
Families build an ofrenda, a home altar with photos, candles, bright orange marigolds called cempasúchil, papel picado and the foods their loved ones enjoyed. Many families also visit and decorate graves, share stories and eat pan de muerto, a sweet bread made for the season. Traditions vary from region to region and from family to family.
Is it the same as Halloween?
No. They happen close together and both have skulls and skeletons, but they are very different. Halloween is about costumes, spooky fun and trick-or-treating. Día de Muertos is about memory and family. The calaveras, or sugar skulls, are colorful and smiling, a reminder that the people we love stay with us in our hearts.
A simple way to explain it to kids: "On Halloween, we dress up for fun. On Día de Muertos, families remember the people they love."
7 Día de Muertos words to read together
Each of these words has its own free coloring page. Spanish vowels always make the same sound, so once your child knows them, these words are easy to sound out. Use the guide below to say them, and if you're ever unsure, every syllable has free audio on our site, just in case.
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| las velas | lahs beh-lahs | the candles |
| la calavera | lah kah-lah-beh-rah | the sugar skull |
| la flor | lah flohr | the flower |
| el pan de muerto | el pahn deh mwehr-toh | the bread of the dead |
| la mariposa | lah mah-ree-poh-sah | the butterfly |
| la guitarra | lah ghee-tah-rrah | the guitar |
| el papel picado | el pah-pehl pee-kah-doh | the cut paper banner |
Two quick tips: in Spanish, V sounds like B, so velas sounds like "beh-lahs." And the RR in guitarra is rolled.
Why a butterfly? Monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico every fall, right around Día de Muertos. Many families see them as the spirits of loved ones coming home.
Why a guitar? Music is part of the celebration, with favorite songs played and sung in honor of those being remembered.
How to celebrate at home with kids
- Make a small ofrenda. A shelf or the corner of a table is enough. Add a photo of a grandparent, a pet or someone your family misses, a candle (battery candles work well) and something they loved.
- Tell a story. Share one memory of the person in the photo. This is the heart of the day.
- Make papel picado. Our free papel picado craft has flags to color and cut, plus blank flags for writing the names of loved ones.
- Look for monarchs. Read about the monarch migration together and find Mexico on a map.
- Play and read. Turn the new words into a game with the printables below.
If Día de Muertos isn't part of your own family's traditions, that's okay. Learn about it the way you would any tradition: with curiosity and respect, and with the focus on what the day is really about, remembering the people we love.
Free Día de Muertos printables
All free, made for kids ages 4 to 8 and for parents who don't speak Spanish:
- Coloring pages: 7 pages to read, trace and color
- Memory game: match each picture to its word
- Lotería: picture-and-word boards for 2 to 6 players
- Papel picado craft: color, cut and hang your own banner
- Clip cards: find the missing syllable
- Roll and read: a dice game for reading syllables
- Word puzzles: a word search and mixed-up syllables
Find them all together on our free printables page.
Want to keep reading in Spanish?
These printables use the same sounds as ¡A LEER!, a four-book Spanish phonics series written for families who don't speak Spanish. Libro 1 starts with the vowels and simple syllables like ma, me and mi, so your child is reading real Spanish words early on. Every sound has free audio, just in case.
¡Feliz Día de Muertos!
