Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back and celebrate the souls of their loved ones who have passed away. They mark the occasion with traditional food, family gatherings, and rituals.

Help students understand the cultural significance of Day of the Dead and its differences from holidays celebrated around the same time with these Día de los Muertos activities:

• Explore the history of Día de los Muertos in social studies
• See how Día de los Muertos is becoming popular in the U.S. in ELA
• Discover the science behind Día de los Muertos traditions

[Explore the history of Día de los Muertos in social studies](id-ss)

Whether your students celebrate Día de los Muertos every year or hear about it for the first time in your classroom, you can help them build background knowledge of the holiday by exploring its history. Use these social studies lessons as a guide:

Teach about the history of the Day of the Dead

Teach elementary-aged students about the history of Día de los Muertos and its importance in Mexican culture with resources like:

• An article that examines the Mexican and Mexican-American traditions for Day of the Dead in communities across North America.
• An article that looks at how food plays a significant role in the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico and its roots in traditions from Aztec, Maya, and Toltec cultures.
• An extension activity that asks students to design a colorful sugar skull to represent a loved one in their life, a historical figure, or even a fictional character. Then, ask them to write a short paragraph about the person they chose and why they picked that person.

Ponder the differences between Halloween and Día de los Muertos

Halloween can trace its roots to the Gaelic festival of Samhain, while Día de los Muertos originated with the Aztec and Nahua people. Help students explore the differences between these two holidays with resources like:

• An interactive video that explains the Aztec roots of today’s Day of the Dead celebrations.
• An article about the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marks the end of the harvest.
• An article about how Halloween became associated with supernatural characters like fairies, witches, and ghosts.

Compare and contrast different cultural celebrations

Día de los Muertos is just one of many cultural holidays celebrated throughout the year in the United States. Teach a lesson about famous cultural celebrations worldwide and see how they compare and contrast in traditions, food, and representation. Students will read about:

• Día de los Muertos
• Halloween
• Kwanzaa
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Diwali
• Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
• Juneteenth
• Hanukkah

[See how Día de los Muertos is becoming popular in the U.S. in ELA](id-ela) 

Though traditionally celebrated in Mexico and parts of Central America, Día de los Muertos is becoming a more popular holiday in the United States each year. Students can learn about some of these celebrations and representations happening right here with articles on topics like:

• How Día de los Muertos is becoming more popular in mainstream American culture, and how retailers, brands, and businesses are embracing the holiday.
• The Day of the Dead celebration hosted by the Latino Arts for Humanity group in Columbus, Ohio, and what it means to the community.
• How the 2017 Disney-Pixar movie “Coco,” which is set during Día de los Muertos, brings more representation to the big screen.

[Discover the science behind Día de los Muertos traditions](id-sci)

People who celebrate Day of the Dead have a variety of traditions and customs they use each year to celebrate the lives of their loved ones. Students can explore the science behind some of those traditions with the following activities:

Teach about our skeletons

Bones, especially skulls, are popular symbols associated with Día de los Muertos. Students can learn more about their skeleton with articles on topics like:

• Why humans have bones and the ways they help us live healthy lives.
• How bones form—and what happens if they break, especially as we get older.
• The different bones included in our skeletal system and where they’re located.

Make rock candy

During Day of the Dead, sugar skulls are displayed to honor the souls of the departed and celebrate their lives in a colorful way. Your students can learn more about the science behind confections with this rock candy experiment:

• Read an article that tries to answer one of the world’s biggest questions: Why does sugar taste so good?
• Explore how candy makers use chemistry to affect their creations' size, shape, and textures.
• Make rock candy in class with sugar, food coloring, and other candy-making supplies.

Learn about the anatomy of a flower

Another Día de los Muertos tradition is to decorate graves and altars with flowers, especially marigolds. Students can explore how flowers grow and thrive with articles on topics like:

• Plant anatomy
• How plants pump water
• The process of pollination

Newsela’s subject products go beyond Día de los Muertos

Newsela’s subject products offer a variety of content and resources—like news articles, primary sources, literature selections, and interactive videos—to help you teach about any historical or cultural event or holiday throughout the year. 

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, sign up for Newsela Lite for free and start your 45-day trial. You’ll get access to our premium content and activities for everything you need to teach about Día de los Muertos and other culturally relevant topics in your classroom.