Spanish Color-by-Number Calavera

Día de los Muertos is a colorful celebration. Flowers, candles, and calaveras bring color to altars and graves as we remember loved ones. The traditional sugar skulls, decorated with designs, are a symbol of the Day of the Dead. These designs are excellent for a Spanish color-by-number activity.

Although we associate color-by-number with young children, the intricate designs of the calavera make them interesting for a wide age range. The activity is a good way to learn or reinforce the colors in Spanish. It also is an excellent introduction to the symbols and traditions associated with Día de los Muertos. Below you will find a link to a printable color-by-number skull. There is also a link to the color version. The colors in the key are:
1. rosa – pink
2. azul claro – light blue
3. azul oscuro – dark blue
4. morado – purple
5. anaranjado – orange
6. verde – green
7. amarillo – yellow

This activity is also good for talking about the parts of the face in Spanish. Before kids color the design, you can talk about the colors that are used in different places. There are some of the words for parts of the face that you can use:
la frente – forehead
el ojo – eye
la sien – temple
la nariz – nose
la mejilla – cheek
la boca – mouth
los labios – lips
los dientes – teeth
el mentón/la barbilla – chin

As I mentioned above, the design on the skull is intricate, with small spaces, and will be difficult for young children to color according to the key. If you have little ones who want to color the skull, talk about the colors at the bottom of the page so they hear the vocabulary, but you may want to encourage them to color the skull without worrying about following the key. You can find a simpler version of this Spanish color-by-number calavera that you may want to print instead in a later post.

Link to Spanish Color-by-Number Skull

Spanish Color-by-Number Calavera
Solution to Spanish Color-by-Number Calavera

If you have kids who are learning about Día de los Muertos, they may also enjoy doing online puzzles with the symbols of Day of the Dead. These are eight-piece puzzles where you slide the pieces into the correct place. The is HelloKids and it does have advertisements.

Día de los Muertos puzzles:
Rompecabezas calavera
Rompecabezas papel picado
Rompecabezas papel picado 2
Rompecabezas altar
Rompecabezas La Catrina

You may also be interested in this post with over 50 great resources: Hispanic Heritage Blog Hop