Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Craft DIY Decoration
Celebrating the Day of the Dead is a great way to teach kids about cherishing their family and those who have paved the way before them. This sugar skull craft is fun to make and can also be used as a decoration for the holiday. It can even double as a Halloween activity.
If you like this craft, you’re going to also love making this squish painted skull craft or this decorated skeleton craft.
I bet you’ve never heard of craft flashcards…Of course you haven’t…because I totally made it up 🙂 As a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I’ve witnessed kids struggle to complete multi-step activities. So, I came up with this brilliant (if I do say myself) way to break down crafts into bite-sized pieces in the form of flashcards.
These are especially perfect for those kiddos who have limited attention spans.
Crafts are such a great developmental tool for kids (improves motor planning, attention span, executive functioning, fine motor skills, language development and more), and using flashcards makes planning crafts for your kids to enjoy even easier.
Just print out a few of your favorites onto cardstock, cut them into the cards with a hole in the corner and place them on a keyring that you can connect to your craft supply bag (which you can fill using our master list of supplies that we stick to for every single one of the projects in the flashcard collection). It’s so simple.
And the best part is that there’s not a screen in sight. Technology is such a great thing, but it’s also nice to take a break from it once in awhile and let the brain explore in other ways. Click the image to learn more about our collection of 100 Craft Flashcards for Kids.
What is the Day of the Dead?
The holiday of the Day of the Dead, aka Dia De Los Muertos, is celebrated mostly in Mexico on November 1st and November 2nd. It helps families celebrate their ancestors and their rich culture. It’s a joyful time for families.
Candlelit altars are set up to honor the dead, often including their favorite foods and favorite items. Then families head to the graveyard for a huge feast. Decorated skeletons, usually made from paper mache, can be found everywhere. Sugar skulls, also known as calaveras, are a traditional folk art form from Mexico that symbolize the departed spirits of loved ones during the Day of the Dead.
If you’d like to further explain the Day of the Dead to your kids, check out this article in Parents magazine.
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Kids Books about the Dios Los Muertos
One of the best ways to enhance a crafting experience is to combine it with a good book. Here are some of our favorite books for kids about the Day of the Dead…
Save this Skull Craft for later. Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…
All activities require adult supervision. By using this site, you are agreeing to our terms of use.
How to Make a Dia De Los Muertos Craft
This simple printable Day of the Dead decoration leaves LOTS of room for creativity and individuality. Just print and add your own flair.
SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG
- Crayons or markers (or paints)
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- White yarn
- White construction paper or cardstock
- Sugar skull printable
Kids craft ideas are no good if they only sit exist on the internet but are never actually made by kids. We want to make crafting with your kids something that you do regularly and enjoy together. So, we’re removing some of the roadblocks, like too much prep time, lots of mess and hefty pricetags.
Fill your bag using our master list of craft supplies, and you’ll be ready to make any of the fun and simple crafts you see here. We stick to this list so that you can get right to the good stuff. Grab these items and fill your bag so that you’re ready to craft some memories at a moment’s notice whenever the opportunity strikes.
Paper Sugar Skull Step-by-Step Instructions:
Step 1: Use the Free Printable Template
- Print out 4 copies of the skull template onto white cardstock or white construction paper.
- Use your markers or crayons to color the sugar skulls. They can all be different or the same. It’s up to you.
Step 2: Cut It Out
- Cut out each of the 4 sugar skulls you’re decorated.
Step 3: Fold the “Painted” Skulls
- Fold each of the skulls in half lengthwise.
Step 4: Make a Yarn Tassle
To make a simple yarn tassel, you can start with a cut out square of paper plate about 5″ wide or use the palm of your hand.
- Wrap the yarn around around your hand (or square of cardboard) about 15-20 times.
- Then slide the wrapped yarn off of your hand (or cardboard)
- Cut another piece of white yarn approximately 1 yard long.
- Slide the cut piece of yarn through the center of the wrapped yarn and tie a double knot. You should be left with nice long doubled yarn that will eventually go through the center of the skulls and provide a hanger on the top.
- Cut one more piece of white yarn approximately 8 inches long and tie it around your bundle of yarn, just below the tied off top. Make a double knot.
- Now cut the bottom of the loops and trim to even it out.
Step 5: Begin Assembly
- Begin to layer the sugar skulls together. Take the first one that’s folded in half and put glue all over one half.
- Stack a second skull, folded in half, right on top.
- Glue on another skull in the same fashion.
- Keep doing this until all 4 paper sugar skulls are all stacked up, but DO NOT put glue on the last half or connect it all together just yet. We need to add the tassle and hanger in step 6 first.
Step 6: Add the Tassle and Hanger
- Take the long string at the top of the tassle and place it into the center of the skulls you stacked (as pictured).
- Add glue to one side of the skull and then press it to the back of the other skull. The string will be sandwiched in the center with the tassle hanging out the bottom.
- Tie a knot in the top of the string to form a hanger for your Day of the Dead Sugar Skull decoration.
How to Make this Craft with Preschoolers
Preschoolers will love this craft, but you’ll likely need to make a few adjustments. First, precut each of the skull shapes. Also assist with the folding and skip the tassle all together. Allow your little one to do all of the coloring and gluing independently.
If you really want to simply this craft, just print one copy and turn it into a coloring activity.
How to Turn This into a Halloween Craft
Honestly, you don’t really need to do anything to turn this into a Halloween craft. It can work as is. However, you may want to add some “spooky” details, like spiders, webs, bats, etc. and use more traditional Halloween colors. It can also work as a DIY Halloween decoration.