Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Coloring & Reflection Activities (Grades 3–5)

Bring meaningful cultural learning and social emotional reflection into your classroom with this Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) activity pack designed for Grades 3–5. Students learn about the tradition of sugar skulls (calaveras) while reflecting on people, pets, or memories that hold a special place in their hearts.

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This resource blends creative expression, cultural appreciation, and SEL reflection, making it perfect for seasonal activities in late October or early November.

🌸Why Teachers Love It

• Cultural Value: Introduces students to the beauty of Día de los Muertos in a respectful and engaging way. Students learn about ofrendas, sugar skulls, and color symbolism through clear, age-appropriate text.
• SEL Connection: Students are invited to reflect on loved ones, pets, or meaningful memories and choose colors that represent those connections. This turns a simple coloring activity into a powerful reflection exercise.
• Writing Integration: A narrative writing extension page guides students to write a short personal story or memory, supporting literacy standards while deepening their understanding.
• Flexible Use: Works beautifully as an art project, literacy center, seasonal lesson, or classroom display. Teachers can use the full sequence or choose individual pages to fit their time.

🌸What’s Included

• 10 sugar skull (calavera) coloring pages (US Letter, black-and-white, printable)
• 1 Reflection Page with short informational text about Día de los Muertos, sugar skulls, and color meanings, plus thoughtful prompts to connect personal memories and coloring choices
• 1 Writing Page with a clear beginning–middle–end structure for a short narrative or personal story
• Space for student name and date on all pages for easy classroom use

🌸How to use

1. Introduce the cultural background using the reflection page text.
2. Guide students through the reflection prompts, encouraging them to think about a person, pet, or memory they want to honor.
3. Invite students to color their sugar skull using symbolic color meanings or personal color choices that reflect their memories.
4. Use the writing page to extend learning with a personal narrative or memory piece.
5. Display the finished skulls and reflections for a meaningful classroom showcase.

🌸 Perfect for

• Seasonal lessons in October and November
• SEL activities connected to memory, honoring loved ones, and cultural traditions
• Writing blocks, literacy centers, or art stations
• Fast-finisher or early finisher enrichment
• Creating a reflective classroom display

🌸Details

• Grades: 3–5
• Resource Type: Printable PDF (flattened)
• Pages: 12 total
• Format: US Letter

Want more ready-to-use goodness for upper elementary?

• Halloween Partner Cards & 25 Partner Activities: designed to get your students talking, thinking, and working with a wide range of peers while having fun with spooky-season energy.
• Find-Your-Match Partner Cards and Partner Activities - Food Edition: Partner cards with 25 fun, skill-building activities for the year.
• SEL Student Check-in and Reflection Toolkit : Quick, ready-to-use self-rating scales, reflection pages to build student self-awareness and give you valuable insights.
• SEL Student Journal Starter Kit: Covers, trackers, reflection and planning pages to turn any notebook into a student SEL journal.

❤️Hi, I’m Marielle - the creator behind The Teacher’s Playbook. I know SEL can feel like one more thing on a never-ending list. That’s why I make classroom-ready resources that sneak social-emotional learning into what you're already doing: no extra stress, just practical magic.