What is the goal of the game?
Celebrate the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) by solving jigsaw puzzles! The goal is to complete up to 6 different puzzles featuring drawings and photographs of this colorful holiday. Students choose an image, select the number of pieces, and place every piece correctly to reveal the full picture.
The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 and 2. It is a Mexican tradition in which families lovingly remember relatives and friends who have passed away, who are believed to return for a few days to visit the living. It is also celebrated in other Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Guatemala, and by many Mexican American communities across the United States.
Although it takes place right after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is not the same holiday. It is not meant to be scary: it is a joyful celebration of memory and family, full of marigold flowers, colorful decorations, music, and favorite foods.
Recommended age and educational level
This game is recommended for ages 6 and up, from 1st grade through middle school. The four difficulty levels make it easy to differentiate instruction in the same classroom:
- 16 pieces (4x4): easy, ages 6+ (1st grade and up).
- 36 pieces (6x6): medium, ages 7-8+ (2nd–3rd grade and up).
- 64 pieces (8x8): challenging, ages 9-10+ (4th–5th grade and up).
- 100 pieces (10x10): expert, ages 11+ (middle school and up).
How to play: single-player or multiplayer
This is a single-player game. It also works well in pairs or small groups on an interactive whiteboard, with students taking turns placing pieces.
- Click the Day of the Dead image you want to solve.
- Choose the number of pieces: 16, 36, 64, or 100. All puzzles are square.
- Drag the pieces one by one into place.
- Click a piece to rotate it until it is in the correct position.
- Complete the puzzle and try another image.
What do you learn from this game? Learning and skills
- Visual perception: analyzing colors, shapes, and details to match pieces.
- Spatial reasoning: mentally rotating pieces and understanding how they fit together.
- Problem-solving and planning: choosing a strategy and adjusting it as the puzzle takes shape.
- Focus and persistence: sustaining attention through larger, more complex puzzles.
- Fine motor skills: precise dragging and placement with a mouse or touchscreen.
- Social studies and cultural awareness: learning about a Mexican and Latin American tradition, how different cultures remember their ancestors, and how this celebration is shared by communities in the United States.
- Spanish vocabulary: discovering key words related to the holiday, such as ofrenda (altar with offerings), cempasúchil (marigold), calavera (skull), papel picado (cut-paper banners), and pan de muerto (a traditional sweet bread).
Tips to get the most out of this game
- Start with the corners and edges: they have fewer possible positions, so they are easier to place.
- Rotate first: turning every piece to the correct orientation before placing it makes the puzzle much easier to solve visually.
- Sort by color: group pieces by flowers, sky, or other details.
- For teachers: use the game as a warm-up for a Social Studies or Spanish lesson. Let students pick their difficulty level, then ask them to describe the finished image using new vocabulary.
- Compare and contrast: invite students to talk about how their own families remember loved ones, and how the Day of the Dead differs from Halloween.
- Unplugged challenge: have students draw a Day of the Dead scene (marigolds, papel picado, decorated skulls), cut it into a grid of squares, and swap puzzles with a classmate.