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Creating a Day of the Dead mask craft with your kids is a beautiful and easy way to celebrate Día de Los Muertos at home or in the classroom. These Day of the Dead skull masks are one of those simple Day of The Dead craft ideas that you can customize with whatever materials you have around the house. It’s a perfect Día de Los Muertos activity for kids, allowing them to express their creativity while learning about this vibrant and meaningful celebration. Whether you’re looking for a fun classroom project or an engaging activity for your Day of the Dead party at home, this DIY Day of the Dead mask is sure to be a hit!
When Is Day of the Dead Celebrated?
Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated in many Latin American countries in early November, with the main festivities typically occurring on November 1st and 2nd. In Mexico, the celebration begins on November 1st with Día de los Inocentes, honoring children who have passed, and continues on November 2nd, honoring adults who have died. The holiday is a joyful remembrance of loved ones rather than a day of mourning. Learn more about the Day of the Dead celebrations across Latin American here.
In Guatemala, Día de Los Muertos is marked by spectacular giant kite festivals and special foods like fiambre, a traditional salad served only on this holiday. It is a unique blend of indigenous and Catholic traditions that brings communities together to celebrate life, death, and the passage of time. You can learn more about Guatemala’s Day of the Dead traditions here.
Blending Traditions: Halloween and Día de Los Muertos
For many families, celebrating both Halloween and Día de Los Muertos offers an opportunity to blend two beloved traditions. After Halloween’s spooky fun, shift the focus to the colorful and heartwarming celebration of Day of the Dead. This is a time to remember those who have passed, not with sadness but with joy and gratitude for the memories shared. After the ghosts and ghouls have turned back into high-on-sugar kids, we will celebrate with a Day of the Dead party at home.
Why Making Day of the Dead Masks Is Great for Kids
Crafting a Day of the Dead mask is more than just a fun art project. It helps kids learn about the importance of cultural traditions and connects them to the rich heritage of Mexican and Latin American celebrations. By making their own Día de Los Muertos masks, children can engage with history and art in a hands-on way, gaining a deeper understanding of Latinx culture while expressing their creativity.
Materials You Need To Make Día De Los Muertos Skull Mask
To make your Day of the Dead mask special, you don’t need to spend much money or gather hard-to-find supplies. You can use craft supplies you already have at home! Here are some essential materials to get started:
- Pre-made wooden or cardboard skull masks (found at craft stores like Michaels or Amazon)
- Acrylic paints or permanent markers
- Glitter, jewels, or stickers for decoration
- Colorful paper or fabric flowers for extra flair
- Glue and brushes
These Día de Los Muertos masks can be painted with bright and fun colors, and kids can add designs like floral patterns, hearts, or traditional Mexican motifs to make each mask unique.
I find that acrylic paints and permanent markers are easier for kids to handle. Then, add glitter, jewels, or flowers to make your craft mask more fun. Use bright and fun colors to make them fun!
How to Make Your Day of the Dead Mask
Step 1: Prepare the Mask
Start by spray painting the mask white to create a blank canvas. If you’re working with a wooden or cardboard mask, acrylic paints work great too. Let the base layer dry before moving on to decorating.
Step 2: Add Designs
Use a pencil to sketch designs like flowers, hearts, or swirls on the mask. These traditional motifs honor the style of Día de Los Muertos skulls, also known as calaveras. Kids can color in their designs using acrylic paints or permanent markers.
Step 3: Decorate
Once the mask is painted, it’s time to add embellishments! Use glue to attach glitter, stickers, jewels, or even flowers made from paper or fabric. Get creative with the colors—Día de Los Muertos is all about celebrating life, so encourage bright and joyful decorations.
Step 4: Final Touches
Let the masks dry completely before handling. If you’re making this as part of a Día de Los Muertos party, these masks can double as Day of the Dead decorations that bring an authentic and personal touch to your celebration.
More Day of The Dead Ideas You’ll Love
El Día de Los Muertos is about celebrating the lives of our loved ones who have passed away. And unlike Halloween, it is a happy occasion because we remember our loved ones. Therefore, it is the perfect opportunity to get together as a family to talk and share stories about those who are no longer with us. Here are more incredible ideas on how to celebrate the Day of The Dead:
15 Traditional Day Of The Dead Recipes For Celebrating Día De Los Muertos!
If you’re looking for Dia de Los Muertos traditional recipes to serve during the Day of the Dead, you’ve come to the right place. These traditional Day of the dead recipes include everything from pan de Muerto and decorated sugar skulls to traditional Mexican dishes.
25 Easy Day Of The Dead DIY Projects
Here are 25 easy-to-make Day of the Dead DIY crafts. Some of these are so easy they will only take a few minutes to make. Many of these Day of the Dead arts would make incredible decorations for a Latino-inspired party!
Day Of The Dead Skull Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread
This Day of the Dead skull pull-apart pumpkin bread makes a great dessert and is ideal for a Day of the Dead party. I love that it’s easy to make and comes out colorful and fun. We made this one with delicious dried fruit.
Best Day Of The Dead Craft Ideas With Cricut:
Embrace the Dia de Los Muertos holiday with these Day of the Dead crafts ideas with Cricut! Break out your Cricut and do a project with your kids to honor the lives of loved ones that have passed away. These Day of the Dead crafts and free SVG files for Cricut are perfect for your Day of the Dead altar, for decorating your home, or as offerings.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
I would love to make this with my kids. Thank you for the tutorial!
Oh my gosh, I really need to make these with my kids. I wish that I had picked those wooden masks up at Jo-Ann’s when I was there the other day. Rats and snails.
Very interesting idea. Very creative!
I love this idea! It takes the Traditional Halloween and makes it much more meaningful!!!
Oh man I wish I would have seen this earlier it would have been a fun Holiday craft with my kiddos 🙂
This is something my daughter and I will find very enjoyable to do. Maybe we’ll try this next year.
That is cute, I love the easy crafts. We would probably use another paint as my youngest can not use spray paint yet.
That is the cutest skull I have ever seen 🙂 Colorful and with a bow.
To make any mask this creative idea which helps me a lot. Thank you for putting such type of content on it. I really love this.
Thank You!!!
These day of the dead masks are so cute and simple!!! thanks for the easy (and affordable) ideas