Day of the Dead Decorations for the Classroom

Are you looking for resources to help you bring Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead into the classroom? We’re here to help you celebrate with brand new Day of the Dead crafts and lessons perfect for helping your students learn about Mexican culture and traditions. This resource is designed to be a papel picado stencil for kids. They are easy to print, cut, hang, and display, so they are sure to be a quick and easy way to make your own Dia de Muertos decorations.

How to Make Papel Picado

It’s easy to promote cultural awareness and celebrate Mexican culture with Day of the Dead or Dia De Los Muertos activities at school. This printable papel picado template is a no-prep activity that’s perfect for elementary students.

Do you need a papel picado tutorial? To make your own, simply print the template, then

• Place it over a piece of tissue paper and tape it to keep it in place.

• Fold both pieces in half, starting with the vertical center dotted line, and cut the shapes along that line.
• Continue to fold along the dotted lines, cutting the shapes centered across those lines.
• Cut out the paper’s outline, remove the template and unfold the tissue paper.

Attach your Day of the Dead banners to a piece of string, hang them up, and admire your amazing Dia de Los Muertos classroom decor.

 Be sure to check out additional cultural inclusion activities for elementary students here!

Easily Download & Print

Use the Download button to download the PDF version of this resource. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities to shorten your lesson planning time:  

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