Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months with 11 Engaging Activities and Ideas for Your Spanish Class with free resources
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Spanish Heritage Months, observed from September 15th to October 15th in the United States, provide a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the rich and diverse culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States evolved from Hispanic Heritage Week, which was first observed in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was later expanded to a month-long celebration in 1988, lasting from September 15th to October 15th. The choice of these dates is significant, as it includes the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries. Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a time to recognize and celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States. It includes cultural celebrations, educational events, and activities that promote awareness and understanding of this rich heritage.
This month offers Spanish language teachers an excellent chance to engage their students with exciting and educational activities. In this blog post, we’ll explore some fun and interactive games and activities to make your Spanish class during Hispanic Heritage Month memorable.
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Hispanic Heritage Jeopardy
Create a Jeopardy-style game with categories related to famous Hispanic and Latino figures, Latin American countries, Spanish vocabulary, and cultural traditions.
Students can take turns selecting and answering questions in Spanish, earning points for correct answers. This game reinforces both language skills and cultural knowledge.
Check out these free Spanish resources
Salsa Dance Lessons
Introduce your students to the rhythms and movements of Latin dance by organizing salsa dance lessons.
Play lively Latin music and teach basic salsa steps and partner dancing, encouraging students to use Spanish vocabulary related to dance.
Check out these free Spanish resources
Cultural Cooking Classes (Cocina Latina)
Explore the vibrant world of Latin American cuisine by organizing cooking classes.
Choose a different Latin American dish for each class, and have students follow recipes in Spanish. They can learn about ingredients, preparation techniques, and cultural significance while practicing their language skills.
Check out these free Italian flashcards
Bilingual Storytelling (Cuentos Bilingües)
Invite guest speakers or storytellers to share bilingual stories or legends from Latin American folklore.
Encourage students to ask questions and discuss the stories in both Spanish and English, improving their comprehension and language fluency.
Check out these free Spanish short stories
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Latin American Film Screenings:
Select age-appropriate films from Latin America and show them with Spanish audio and English subtitles.
After watching, facilitate discussions in Spanish about the film’s themes, characters, and cultural elements..
Check out these free resources
Hispanic Art Gallery Walk:
Create a “gallery” in your classroom with posters or prints of famous works of art by Hispanic and Latino artists.
Encourage students to describe the art, its significance, and the artist’s background in Spanish..
Check out these free resources
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Cultural Presentations:
Assign each student or group of students a Latin American country to research.
Have them prepare presentations in Spanish, covering topics like geography, history, famous people, and cultural traditions.
Check out these free resources
Latin American Music Karaoke
Organize a karaoke session featuring popular Latin American songs.
Provide lyrics in both Spanish and English, allowing students to sing along and improve their pronunciation
Check out these free resources
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Hispanic Heritage Month Poster Contest
Hold a poster contest where students create visually appealing posters that celebrate Hispanic and Latino culture.
Encourage them to use Spanish phrases and vocabulary in their designs.
Check out these free resources
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Spanish Language Scrabble (Scrabble en Español)
Use a Spanish Scrabble set or create your own by adding accent marks to English Scrabble tiles.
Students form words in Spanish on the game board, connecting them to existing words.
Encourage them to use their vocabulary and knowledge of Spanish word structure.
Keep a bilingual dictionary or word list handy for verification.
Check out these free Spanish resources
Spanish Language Apps and Online Games
Incorporate language learning apps and websites like Duolingo, Memrise, Wordwall, Speenthewheel or Quizlet into your lessons for additional practice and gamified learning
Check out these interesting articles
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months
Hispanic Heritage Months are a time to embrace and honor the diverse Spanish-speaking cultures and communities around us. These engaging activities not only make learning Spanish fun but also provide students with a deeper understanding and appreciation of Hispanic and Latino heritage. By celebrating together, we can promote cultural awareness and strengthen language skills in a meaningful way.
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Months! ¡Viva la cultura latina! (Long live Latin culture!)
