Sugar Skull Art Lesson Writing Prompts Día de los Muertos Day of the Dead

This Sugar Skull Art Lesson and Writing Activity brings Día de los Muertos, the holiday when families remember and honor their loved ones, into the art room. Students design their own sugar skull with a step-by-step guided drawing tutorial, then reflect on the meaning of the holiday through writing.

It is made for elementary and middle school students and is easy to differentiate. A skull template supports students who need help with drawing, and optional cut-and-glue sugar skull elements let students decorate with pre-made pieces. The art inspiration comes from the style of the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF AND PPT VERSION)

• Lesson Plan (2 pages)
• Learning Standards Covered
• Lesson Hook, a warm-up drawing challenge
• About the Theme reading to read aloud or for students to read
• 2 Rubrics
• Artwork Reflection and Artwork Message pages
• Example Artwork
• Educator step-by-step instructions and a PowerPoint step-by-step
• Rough Draft and Artwork Page
• Sugar Skull Template Pages and optional cut-and-glue elements
• Non-fiction and fiction writing planning pages
• Non-fiction and fiction writing prompt pages (primary and intermediate)
• Blank writing pages
• Teacher tips for introducing the lesson, adapting it for different grades and leading a class discussion about Mexican culture and Día de los Muertos

This resource uses American English and is not editable.

HOW TO USE IT

Introduce the holiday with the About the Theme reading and the warm-up challenge, then guide students through the sugar skull drawing with the PowerPoint or educator steps. Offer the template or cut-and-glue elements to students who need extra support, so it works as an independent project or an adaptable group activity.

Afterward, students plan and write using the prompt pages, reflecting on Día de los Muertos, the significance of sugar skulls and their own connections to cultural celebrations. The step-by-step slides also make it easy to leave with a sub.

FAQ

Who is it for?

Elementary and middle school students. The writing pages come in primary and intermediate versions.

What if a student struggles with drawing?

Use the sugar skull template or the optional cut-and-glue elements.

Is it editable?

No. It is a non-editable PDF with a PPT version.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. For clip art, you may use it as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic