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Día de los Muertos Crafts cover: papel picado name craft and marigold craft for PreK–2

Día de los Muertos Craft: Papel Picado Name Banner & Marigold Craft

A papel picado name banner and a 3D paper marigold (cempasúchil) craft for Día de los Muertos, with bilingual vocabulary cards, a read-aloud page and simple activities for PreK–2.

Suitable for
Preschool–2nd Grade
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Learning goals

  • Learn what Día de los Muertos is and name its main symbols
  • Build Spanish and English vocabulary: papel picado, cempasúchil, ofrenda, vela, pan de muerto, calavera
  • Practice letter recognition by finding the letters of their own name
  • Build fine motor skills by coloring, cutting, folding and gluing
  • Count sets of 1 to 10

Preview pages

What’s included

  • Teacher notes and background about Día de los Muertos, with a Spanish pronunciation guide
  • Illustrated read-aloud page, “What is Día de los Muertos?”, with discussion questions
  • 6 illustrated bilingual vocabulary cards
  • Papel picado name banner letters A–Z, plus Ñ, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú and blank flags, in color and blackline
  • Step-by-step picture directions for the name banner
  • Design Your Own Papel Picado page
  • Marigold (cempasúchil) craft templates in color and blackline, with picture directions
  • “Someone Special” drawing and writing page
  • Trace the Words page (vela, pan, flor, papel)
  • Count the Marigolds page (numbers 1–10)
  • 33 pages, in both US Letter and A4 sizes

Materials and preparation

  • Scissors
  • Glue sticks
  • Crayons or markers
  • Yarn or string
  • Colored paper (optional)
  • Hole punch (optional)

Print the color pages, or print the blackline pages on orange, yellow and bright colored paper to save ink. For PreK, pre-cut the flags and flower pieces so children can focus on coloring, gluing and stacking. Cut a length of yarn or string for each name banner before the lesson.

How to use it

  1. Start with the read-aloud page and the vocabulary cards to introduce the holiday and its symbols.
  2. Students find the letters of their name, color them (or use the color version), cut them out, fold the top strip over a string and glue.
  3. Make the marigold: cut the three flowers, stack them from big to small, glue on the center, then bend the petals up so the flower pops.
  4. Finish with the writing, tracing or counting page as a center or early-finisher activity.

Bulletin board idea

Spell DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS or OUR PAPEL PICADO with the letter flags across the top of the board. Hang the students’ name banners below, and add a row of paper marigolds along the bottom.

Teaching it with care

Día de los Muertos is a joyful tradition for remembering loved ones, not a scary holiday. Traditions differ from family to family, so invite families who celebrate to share if they would like to, and never require children to talk about a personal loss. For more background, read our guide How to Teach Día de los Muertos to Young Kids.

Adaptations

  • PreK: pre-cut the pieces and use the color flags; children glue and assemble.
  • Kindergarten–2nd grade: students cut on their own and write their name on the “Made by” tag.
  • Spanish and dual-language classes: use the vocabulary cards for matching or memory games.
  • Early finishers: the Design Your Own Papel Picado page lets students create their own patterns.

Questions

Which paper sizes are included?

Both US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) and A4 versions are included, 33 pages each.

Are there letters for Spanish names?

Yes. Along with A–Z there are flags for Ñ, Á, É, Í, Ó and Ú, plus blank flags for any other letter or symbol.

Can I print it in black and white?

Yes. Every letter flag and the marigold template also come in a blackline version, to color or to print on colored paper.

Get this resource

Día de los Muertos Craft: Papel Picado Name Banner & Marigold Craft is available from our store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

View Resource on TPT

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