The Ultimate Guide to Hispanic Heritage Month Activities
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.
Hispanic Heritage Month Activities
Books
I have an entire post on authentic books in Spanish for children, but here are some good quick picks as well:
Easy & Fun 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.
- 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: @Allison: Teacher & Blogger
- Coordinate with other teachers to emphasize Hispanic Heritage awareness. Talk with the art teacher about incorporating an artisan craft or studying a Hispanic artist.
- Invite community members to talk or share something culture (a dance lesson, cooking lesson, craft, childhood stories, etc.)
- Use this month to teach Spanish-speaking countries and capitals. (A free game card set is available in the printable section below.)
Movies
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 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!
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 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 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 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.
Credit: @COLOMBIA
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:
Kids Talk About Hispanic Heritage Month (in English):
Latino Learning Modules (explains the terms Hispanic, Latino, and Chicano):
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:
Recommended TpT Elementary Resources
Recommended TpT Upper School Resources
Credit: @Sra. Roca- Mi tiendita hispana
Famous Faces Collaborative Poster
Hispanic Heritage Month Activities
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Thanks for the informative post! Linking back to you 🙂
Wow! Thank you so much. You have some of my favorites, and also ideas I never thought of. Plenty to choose from.
These are great suggestions! The art teacher and I are doing an immersion Spanish/Art class this year instead of a semester of each subject separately. We have the first month to start class and take notes over art, cover Spanish colors and alphabet, which then led us to HH Month for 2 weeks, then we spend all of October on Día de los Muertos. It’s a blast so far! These are great to keep in mind for future years!