October can feel like a marathon of candy, costumes, and controlled chaos, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity to help students explore meaningful cultural traditions. Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is one of those celebrations that beautifully blends history, art, and reflection without requiring a sugar rush to enjoy it.
I created a Canva digital ofrenda activity as a simple, engaging way to introduce students to this important tradition. An ofrenda is a home altar built to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away. It’s often decorated with marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, photos, and favorite foods. Each element holds significance, from guiding spirits back to the world of the living to celebrating the lives that shaped us. Check mine out below along with the explanation.
This Canva template comes with three different design options, plus a design assets page packed with icons, flowers, frames, candles, and sugar skulls that students can copy and paste directly into their own ofrenda. Once students choose their favorite layout, they can delete the other two and get straight to creating. Easy, colorful, and no glue sticks required.
What makes this activity especially powerful is the chance for students to share their own stories. They can honor a family member, a pet, or even a historical figure they admire. You’ll also get a window into what matters most to your students, making it both a cultural and community-building experience.
Below, you can check out my ofrenda with an explanation of each component. Feel free to share this with your students (or make your own using the template).
Carrillo’s Ofrenda
My parents have both since passed and this ofrenda highlights just some of the artifacts that remind me of my parents, their likes, and some of my fondest memories with them. The grandkids all referred to my parents as “Tita and Tito” which is short for “abuelita” and “abuelito”. My mother was fond of crispy wings and her homemade enchiladas. Those enchiladas were special and are still an all time favorite of mine. She loved to read biographies and was constantly sliding around the house in her “pantuflas” or slippers. She had a beautiful rose garden with some of the biggest roses I’d ever seen in my life. My father and her were constantly in the garden together tending to their roses. Tito loved his $1.50 Costco hot dogs and coffee roughly the same temperature as the sun. He would dip apple fritter donuts into his coffee and to balance his health, he walked many miles everyday. If you had the opportunity to meet Tito, he was more than likely wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Some of my fondest memories of them were at family parties where they would be singing love songs together on the microphone.
If you’re ready to add some meaningful creativity to your end of October lessons, grab the Canva template and bring Día De Los Muertos into your classroom. It’s a little bit of history, a lot of art, and a reminder that every story—past or present—deserves to be celebrated.
Feel free to tag me on social media with your creations and let me know of the stories shared in your classroom. Buen provecho!
Click The Image Below To Get The Canva Template
