Looking for day of the dead crafts for kids with colorful flowers, decorated skulls and plenty of drawing ideas? Start with a simple skull face or try a jointed skeleton with a big flower crown.
You can keep it simple or go all out with the colors.
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition honoring loved ones who have died. Keep that meaning part of your craft conversation.
A couple of pictures below offer broader craft inspiration rather than holiday-specific designs. Have an adult handle sharp tools and choose age-appropriate decorations.
Colorful skulls, flowers and craft ideas to explore
skulls with bright flower crowns
We’re starting off strong with these colorful skull faces. I love the purple petals around the black eyes.
Those oversized flowers across the tops are just as pretty.
Try a black background like these to show off your white skull shapes. Let each child choose their own hearts, dots and flower colors.
orange and red flower shapes
Want to start with flowers instead of skulls? This picture shows orange and red layers being trimmed into a rounded, scalloped shape.
I love those colors together. For younger kids, an adult could prepare the shapes so they can concentrate on arranging their flower layers.
colorful papel picado
How pretty are these cutout designs? The red piece has little openings and a scalloped edge, with pale blue and yellow versions behind it.
Papel picado belongs beautifully in a Día de los Muertos display. For a child-friendly variation, you could begin with larger cutouts rather than lots of tiny details.
orange petals and blue dots
This rounded skull face may just be one of my favorites. I love the orange petals with yellow dots around the black eyes.
Tiny blue dots border the eyes too. The curled ends of the smile are so cute.
For your own painted design, keep the background white and choose a bright color for each ring around the eyes.
a sparkling skull mask
If you are looking for a little sparkle, this one is for you. Pink, blue and green gems follow the black outlines of the skull design.
The eye openings are being cut with a craft knife here, so leave that part to an adult. Kids can plan the decoration afterward, using drawn dots instead of small gems where needed.
hearts and wavy lines
Don’t want to add lots of separate decorations? No problem!
This skull has drawn hearts, blue waves and curled cheeks around its big black eyes.
I especially love the green outline around the nose. Try giving kids a few simple shapes to repeat across their own designs.
tiny skulls with flowers
How adorable are these little skulls? Each one has a different cluster of colorful flowers across its forehead, with dark eyes and a tiny lined mouth.
Use them as inspiration for a modeling project with a child-appropriate craft medium. The orange rose and green leaves are a lovely combination to borrow.
brightly outlined skull faces
I am obsessed with these color combinations. There’s pink with yellow, turquoise with orange and purple with bright pink.
The flower shapes look so different just by switching the colors.
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Let everyone choose a pair of colors for their own skull. You don’t need to copy every little swirl to borrow this idea.
skeleton hands with flowers
Here’s something a little different from the skull faces. These black hand shapes have white bones drawn across the fingers and palms, plus flowers at the wrists.
The purple, yellow and white flowers are my favorite part. For a drawing version, kids could trace their hands on dark paper and add their own bone-inspired lines.
rainbow flower layers
Who doesn’t love a big colorful flower? The yellow and orange bloom here has green outer layers, while the nearby flowers mix purple, pink and blue.
The folded stack in front is gathered at the middle with a green stem. Try choosing a few different colors for your own flower rather than keeping every layer the same.
little sculpted skull faces
If your kids enjoy shaping things, save this little skull as inspiration. It has recessed eyes and a small projecting jaw, with a tool adding details near the bottom.
You could offer a child-safe modeling tool for their version. Keep the first face simple before adding any painted decoration.
a pastel skeleton
I am obsessed with this colorful skeleton. The pink flower eyes, yellow ribs and purple details are so cute together.
There are even little flowers on the hands.
The large round joint details add more color at the shoulders, elbows and knees. Don’t forget a bright flower crown if you want to follow this look.
hearts, petals and swirls
Not sure what to draw on your skull? This picture gives you plenty of ideas, from red heart eyes to purple petals and turquoise diamonds.
I love the leafy branch across one forehead. Let kids pick a favorite detail from the examples, then combine it with their own colors.
bright skull art on black
These colorful faces are so pretty against the black background. The collage shows white skull outlines and details, followed by bright pink, blue, green and orange decoration.
For your own version, start with a bold skull shape and leave room for flowers and curls. The two finished faces show that the patterns don’t have to match.
a colorful skull jar
Give a plain jar a little skull-inspired decoration with this cheerful face. I love the pink heart-shaped nose and the blue lines crossing the smile.
The orange dots around the eyes are a sweet finishing touch. For younger children, you could borrow the design for a shatter-resistant craft container instead.
orange behind black cutouts
Don’t want to use every color at once? No problem there!
This black skull has orange and yellow showing through its flower-shaped eyes, nose and forehead details.
I’d keep that simple color combination. An adult could prepare the detailed cutout while kids create a colorful backing for their version.
a flower-crowned display mask
If you are looking for a more detailed art project, then this one is for you. The white mask has pink pointed borders around the eyes, blue diamonds on the cheeks and a large green forehead design.
I love the blue, green and pink flowers across the top. Older kids could borrow those shapes to decorate a prepared display mask.
a butterfly with two scenes
This butterfly is a broader art idea rather than an explicitly Día de los Muertos design. One side is filled with bright flowers, while the other shows a crescent moon, a feather and a drooping flower.
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For a remembrance-focused variation, kids could draw flowers or colors that remind them of someone they love.
clear ghost bookmarks
These little ghosts holding orange books are cute, but they’re a Halloween-style bookmark idea rather than a Día de los Muertos craft.
If you like the bookmark format, you could try a separate design with decorated skulls or flowers.
a skeleton with a rose crown
Last but definitely not least, we have this pretty jointed skeleton. I love the oversized red-outlined roses and the little blue flowers in its eyes.
Round fasteners mark the joints, with one arm raised and the other stretched downward. Try pink hearts on the palms like these for one more sweet detail.