15 Free Day of the Dead Coloring Pages for Kids and Adults
Day of the Dead is a bright, meaningful celebration of memory, family, and love. This collection of 15 Day of the Dead coloring pages helps kids and adults connect with the tradition through art, symbols, and stories that feel welcoming in classrooms, at home, and during fall celebrations.
Day of the Dead coloring pages are printable activity sheets featuring sugar skulls, marigolds, La Catrina, candles, papel picado, and remembrance scenes that invite families to honor loved ones with color and creativity.
These pages span simple, medium, and detailed designs so everyone can participate—from preschoolers who like bold shapes to teens and adults who enjoy intricate patterns.
What’s Inside These Free Day of the Dead Coloring Pages (15 designs)
Here’s a quick look at the exact illustrations included in this set so you can plan lessons, crafts, or displays:
- Marigold bouquet (calendula): a cluster of blossoms styled for bold oranges and yellows, with “calendula” lettered below.
- Candle and florals: a tall candle with hearts and blooms around it, perfect for discussing remembrance.
- Sugar skull cats: cute, wide-eyed cat faces with star accents and smooth outlines for younger colorists.
- Dancing skeletons: two smiling skeletons in sombreros holding marigolds, ideal for rhythm or music tie-ins.
- La Catrina portrait: an elegant figure with a flowered hat and dress, great for talking about cultural icons.
- Butterfly wreath skull: a sugar skull framed by monarch butterflies that symbolize migration and hope.
- Ofrenda altar: a tiered altar with framed photos, candles, sugar skulls, and marigolds for cultural context.
- Mariachi skeletons: a trio with guitars and drums under papel picado banners; pair with music activities.
- Family at a gravesite: a gentle scene of decorating a grave with flowers and candles at dusk.
- La Catrina with parasol: a standing portrait with parasol and layered dress; nice for fashion details.
- Intricate sugar skull: a detailed skull with floral symmetry for older kids, teens, and adults.
- Cemetery path: headstones, candlelight, and a winding trail for storytelling and scene-building.
- Papel picado line: hanging banners filled with skull motifs; easy scissor craft after coloring.
- Sombrero and blanket: a calm still life for color blending and pattern play.
- Cheerful sugar skull: a friendly final design with floral elements and smooth curves.
These pages make it simple to weave in related topics like skull coloring pages, Dia de los Muertos coloring pages, La Catrina coloring page, sugar skull coloring pages, and Mexican coloring pages while keeping your lesson focused and helpful.
Why Day of the Dead Coloring Pages Resonate with Families
Coloring is more than busywork. It opens a door to gentle conversation and cultural learning.
- Cultural awareness with respect. Symbols like marigolds, ofrendas, and papel picado create space to talk about remembrance and family traditions.
- Fine-motor growth. Tracing lines, filling patterns, and layering colors support handwriting readiness.
- Calm focus. Coloring offers a quiet reset during a lively season filled with events, costumes, and candy.
- Age-inclusive. Younger kids prefer bold shapes while teens and adults can settle into detailed sugar skulls or cemetery scenes.
- Display-ready art. Finished pages look great on bulletin boards, windows, or on an ofrenda during family gatherings.
Educators can also pair these sheets with quick mini-lessons on Day of the Dead drawings, Day of the Dead illustration, or simple Day of the Dead painting prompts to help kids compare mediums.
How to Use These Printables at Home, School, or Community Events
Family memory time
Set out coloring supplies and invite everyone to share a story about a loved one while they color marigolds or candles. Add a framed colored page near an ofrenda to include kids’ artwork in the family tradition.
Classroom culture corner
Create a small “culture corner” with books, marigolds (real or paper), and a display of finished pages. Rotate designs through the week to keep the space fresh and engaging for students.
Art + vocabulary
Introduce simple Spanish words that often appear in Dia de los Muertos context: caléndula (marigold), ofrenda (altar), papel picado (cut paper banners), La Catrina, and calavera (skull). Let students label their pages.
Papel picado garland craft
Color the banner page, cut along the borders, hole-punch the top corners, and string them together to form a classroom or hallway garland.
Music tie-in
Use the mariachi skeletons page during a short lesson on instruments or rhythms. Students can color after clapping or tapping a simple pattern.
Storytelling prompts
Pick the cemetery path page and ask: “What time of day is it? Who might the visitors be? What are they carrying?” Students color while answering in a sentence or two.
Supplies that Make These Pages Shine
- Crayons and colored pencils for control and blending
- Fine-tip markers or gel pens for intricate sugar skull details
- Washable markers for younger artists
- Scissors, tape, string, and hole punch for banner or garland crafts
- Optional: metallic markers to highlight crowns, jewelry, or candlelight
For vivid color schemes, try marigold orange, fuchsia, teal, cobalt, and leafy green. These hues fit sugar skull adult coloring book styles while staying friendly for kids.
Printing and Setup Tips
- Paper size: use US letter 8.5 × 11 inches.
- Printer settings: choose “Fit to page” and grayscale or black-only for crisp outlines.
- Classroom prep: pre-print a few extra copies of the high-interest pages (the intricate skull and the dancing skeletons go fast).
- Take-home packs: staple 3–5 themed pages with a note for families about simple at-home art time.
- Digital coloring: import the PDF into Procreate, Canva, or GoodNotes for stylus practice or projection on a smart board.
Download Your 15 Day of the Dead Coloring Pages
This free set can support Halloween coloring pages units, cultural studies, or fall community events. It also complements related themes like skeleton coloring pages, Halloween coloring pages for adults, and Halloween coloring sheets free printable if you want a wider seasonal bundle.
Use them for personal, classroom, homeschool, or non-commercial community use. Please share the post link rather than hosting the file elsewhere.
About our Illustrations (human-made, not AI)
Great art matters. At MyKidColors, we develop concepts, references, and page outlines, then our in-house illustrators hand-draw each design. The goal is simple: clean lines, expressive faces, age-appropriate details, and cultural care.
This approach keeps the set consistent with our other themes—printable adult coloring pages, free adult coloring pages, and colouring printables that balance simplicity with style.
Teaching Notes and Gentle Cultural Context
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is not the same as Halloween. While both occur in fall, Day of the Dead centers on remembrance and love, often marked with marigolds (caléndula), candles, photos, favorite foods, music, and papel picado. Symbols like La Catrina, sugar skulls (calaveras), and butterflies encourage kids to reflect on family bonds across generations.
If you are building a lesson plan, consider a short read-aloud or a picture book, followed by coloring time with the ofrenda, candle, or butterfly pages. Ask simple questions: “What colors feel joyful to you?” “Who would you like to remember today?” This sets a respectful tone.
Page-by-Page Classroom Ideas
- Marigold bouquet: practice warm-cool color sorting and talk about flower symbolism.
- Candle and florals: explore light and shadow; add a halo with soft pencil shading.
- Sugar skull cats: great for skull template tracing activities; kids can design their own forehead symbols.
- Dancing skeletons: pair with a quick rhythm activity; color, then add a background pattern.
- La Catrina portrait: research hat decorations; students draw three small flowers beside the frame.
- Butterfly wreath skull: connect to migration maps; color wings with gradient oranges.
- Ofrenda altar: label items (photo, candle, bread, flowers); add a tiny framed picture of someone they admire.
- Mariachi skeletons: identify instruments; write one sentence about how music brings people together.
- Family at a gravesite: discuss respectful behavior; decorate with careful dot patterns to mimic candle glow.
- La Catrina with parasol: practice textures on fabric; cross-hatch for shadows.
- Intricate sugar skull: ideal for older artists; try monochrome palettes or two-color symmetry.
- Cemetery path: set a mood with a cool-color sky; add stars or a sliver of moon.
- Papel picado line: color, cut, and hang; compare patterns to sugar skulls coloring pages motifs.
- Sombrero and blanket: experiment with stripes and woven textures; outline, then fill.
- Cheerful sugar skull: introduce symmetry; students design matching flowers on both sides.
FAQ
Are these Day of the Dead coloring pages free to print?
Yes. They’re free for personal, classroom, homeschool, and community events. Please share the post link rather than uploading the file elsewhere.
What ages are these pages best for?
The set ranges from easy to detailed. Preschoolers enjoy bold shapes; older kids, teens, and adults tend to pick the intricate skull, La Catrina portraits, and cemetery scenes.
Can I use these in a cultural unit at school?
Absolutely. Pair the ofrenda or marigold pages with a short reading, then invite kids to color and discuss. The pages also support Spanish vocabulary and art standards.
Do you offer a single PDF bundle?
Yes. All 15 pages are packaged as one print-ready PDF sized for US letter paper.
Are the designs original?
Yes. Our in-house illustrators create the artwork by hand. We do not rely on AI image generation.
Can these be colored digitally?
Yes. Import the PDF into Procreate, Canva, or GoodNotes, or project a page for whole-class demonstrations.
Do you have related sets for seasonal units?
You’ll find skeleton coloring pages, halloween coloring pages, halloween coloring pages for adults, cute pirate coloring pages (coming soon), and more on the site. These pair well with this bundle for a full fall plan.
Any printing tips for best results?
Use a quality setting with black-only ink for crisp lines. If students color with markers, consider a sheet underneath to protect desks.
Quick Summary
- 15 Day of the Dead coloring pages featuring marigolds, candles, La Catrina, sugar skulls, papel picado, and remembrance scenes
- A mix of simple, medium, and intricate designs for all ages
- Classroom-ready uses: vocabulary, art techniques, family stories, cultural awareness
- Print on US letter paper; bundle arrives as a single PDF
- Hand-drawn by our own illustrators; no AI images
