Inside: A round-up of Hispanic Heritage Month activities and ideas.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th – October 15th, is the perfect chance to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans and celebrate Hispanic culture in general.

There are a lot of materials out there! I’ve been scouring the internet for the best resources and fun ideas, and gathered them here. Let me know in the comment if I missed one of your favorites

Created by Davis Marret from Cario Middle in Charleston, SC. See the template here. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Activities

Below you can find many, many ideas for Hispanic Heritage Activities! To jump to a specific section, click on one of the links below:

• Lesson Ideas
• Crafts and Printables
• Books
• Infographs
• Songs
• Informational Videos
• Lesson Plans

Let’s get started!

Easy & Fun HHM Lesson Ideas

• Don’t have time for a big project or event? Do something bite-sized every day. Work culture into your daily bellringer (song, poem, mini-biographies, fun facts, geography), put up a bulletin board with artifacts, quotes, or biographies in the background, or pull out your authentic books in Spanish for children. Here is an awesome Google slides doc from Tonya Barba (Tony Terreo) that includes bite-sized culture highlights tied to a variety of themes.

• Assign a simple project about famous Hispanic Americans. Fun for Spanish Teachers describes a really good poster project that includes a QR code where students link to a voice recording.

• Create a school-wide event that features Latin food, music, traditional games, country-themed tables, or dancing. Consider doing a Taco Truck Day and/or an activity to contrast typical tacos in the U.S. with authentic tacos.

• Get the whole school involved throughout the month. Do trivia with prizes over the morning announcements, or have fun little games by the office or in the lunchroom (idea from the FB group Spanish Teachers in the U.S: “How many frijoles in the jar, flan flavor guessing contest, piñata on the last day, etc.”)

• Mis Clases Locas had the great idea to do a Hispanic Heritage Music Madness bracket. Select a song from each country, and vote throughout the month until you have a winning song!

Credit: Mis Clases Locas

• Coordinate with other teachers to emphasize Hispanic Heritage awareness. Talk with the art teacher about incorporating an artisan craft or studying a Hispanic artist.

• Use this month to teach Spanish-speaking countries and capitals. (A free game card set is available in the printable section below.) Invite community members to talk or share something culture (a dance lesson, cooking lesson, craft, childhood stories, etc.)

Hispanic Heritage Month Crafts & Culture

• Do a Nazca Lines Project from Peru
• Mexican Folk Art Paintings from Kid World Citizen
• Create a Mola from Panama from Kid World Citizen
• Create a Diego Rivera Mural from Kid World Citizen

• Learn About Weaving from Guatemala from Kid World Citizen
• Make a Paper Arpillera from Mundo de Pepita
• Make Guatemalan Worry Dolls with DTWTMSE

Hispanic Heritage Month Printables & Lessons

• Teaching for Change information, quiz, and resources.
• Lessons, activities, printables, and quizzes from the NEA: Grades K-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12.
• Grab a free poster at Speaking Latino.
• Download my free card games for Spanish-speaking countries and capitals.
• Who are Latinos? lesson from PBS, for grades 4-12.
• Interactive lesson from PBS on “Latinos Share Their Experiences“
• 14 Things Latinos Gave to the US. This would be a great source for trivia!
• Instagram Tourist Accounts by Country from Spanish Plans.

Books

I have an entire post on authentic books in Spanish for children, but here are some good quick picks as well:

Movies for HHM

This is the perfect time to show a movie that showcases Hispanic culture. Here’s where to find them!

Movies to show in class:

The Ultimate List of Movies for Spanish Class from Secondary Spanish Space (includes ratings, and a brief synopsis).

G and PG Movies in Spanish from Spanish Mama

Movies for teachers/adults or need editing for class:

Movies from Spain on Netflix

Movies from Argentina on Netflix

Movies from Argentina on Netflix

COUNTRY DISPLAYS

Here are some ideas if you want to showcase Hispanic countries. Thank you to Alaid Zepol, from JLSimpson MS in Leesburg, VA for sharing pictures from their 2nd International Night!

#authres

There are lots of infographics, songs, and video clips you can use during Hispanic Heritage Month. Here are some ideas:

Credit: H&R Block

Credit: NBC News

Songs for Hispanic Heritage Month

Music is an excellent way to share language and culture at the same time. There are so many songs you could use this month! Check out my All-Time Classic Songs in Spanish, or Folk Songs in Spanish for Kids, or choose from the few I’ve featured below:

La Gozadera

Celebrate Latin American countries in this happy song. If the video isn’t appropriate for your school, consider using a version that just features the lyrics.

GUANTANAMERA

Expose your students to one of the great classics in Spanish, by the legendary Celia Cruz.

LA BAMBA

La Bamba isn’t just one of the most famous songs in Spanish, it features a Chicano artist who bridged Mexico and the US.

DE COLORES

A traditional song for children, De Colores is a beautiful and classic Hispanic song that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Hispanic Heritage Month Videos

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Google Arts:

How Pitbull’s Cuban-American family came to the U.S:

Hispanic Heritage Month from young Disney Stars:

This is one in a series of adorable videos where young kids introduce themselves and their Latino roots and culture, in Spanish:

Kids Talk About Hispanic Heritage Month (in English):

Latino Learning Modules (explains the terms Hispanic, Latino, and Chicano):

A simple introduction to Ellen Ochoa. (This is part of a series introducing famous Hispanics for young children- though I bet you could use it for older students as well! So far there are intros for Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, Alberto Baez, and more):

HBO’s the Latin Explosion is not available full-length on YouTube, though clips are available by artist. This preview might be a fun intro to Latino music in the US, as a way to kick off the month or music study. If you buy the full-length video, preview (especially for drug mentions.)

Video in English, mostly text: