Day of the Dead Skeleton Craft

This is a creative, fun skeleton craft that is perfect for kids learning about Day of the Dead- and can be easily adapted for high school Spanish classes!

 

If you are ever in Mexico during October, you will see silly skeletons dressed as characters, with every occupation under the sun EVERYWHERE! Skeleton carpenters, skeleton musicians, skeleton taxi drivers, skeleton brides/grooms- all dressed up to celebrate the lives of those who have died. Before doing this craft, check out the following posts to further your learning on Day of the Dead:

• Day of the Dead crafts
• Why so many skeletons for Day of the Dead?
• Fun books for kids about Day of the Dead

Once you learn a little more about the significance and symbolism of Day of the Dead, it’s time for the skeleton craft.

First, we need the bones or form of the skeleton. You might find them on google, or our TpT Day of the Dead packet has this skeleton craft (along with lots of other math and literacy activities!). Have the children cut out the bones and paste them on a bright piece of construction paper to form a skeleton. My daughters decided to first connect the bones in the position they wanted them to look to hold their “props:”

Once the skeletons are assembled and glued to the construction paper, it is time to get creative. Use yarn, fabric scraps, markers, sequins, paper- anything you like! Brainstorm possible characters together: a chef, a cowboy, a ballerina, a football player, a clown, a police officer, a nurse, a construction worker.

To add to the activity, when I used it at the high school level (Spanish 1), I also had the kids write 5 sentences in Spanish describing the skeletons using ser and estar and using their current vocabulary lists.  (He is a carpenter: Es carpintero. He is very busy: Está muy ocupado.)

Here are our finished skeleton crafts- what do you think? This was definitely a collaborative project- my oldest daughter LOVES crafts and was going around and helping the others to cut out the clothing, and then letting them add in the details.

Day of the Dead Activity Pack

Teach your students about the Day of the Dead with this incredible Day of the Dead Activity Pack! 60 pages of activities including a powerpoint presentation, a minibook, an informational text with questions, themed math activities, a skeleton craft, and tons of decorations! It also contains a book list, discussion questions with key concept definitions, and a cultural guide for teachers.
Check out the packet at our TPT Store!

I would love to see your skeleton crafts- share a picture on our facebook page or leave a comment to tell us which characters your kids made!