Tips to Celebrate Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month With Your Kids For Free
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What is Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month?
Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month is observed between September 15 and October 15 where many celebrate the cultures, histories, and contributions by people who have immigrated to the United States from Latinamerica, Spain, and the Caribbean.
Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month first started as Hispanic Heritage Week under the Johnson administration in 1968. Then, President Raegan expanded it to a month-long celebration in 1988.
My Take on Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month
I would say that this yearly celebration has become quite popular over the past couple of years, especially when anti-Latino bigotry and policies that have affected the Latinx/Hispanic community, such as immigrants, have influenced more people to amplify their voices and identity in the United States.
As many are aware of this month, the more Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month is becoming more of a commercialized celebration and a booming marketing strategy from corporations to entice Latinx folks. Because of this uptick in campaigns, I have found that many mamis are getting a lot of pressure by buying more Latinx/Hispanic-related merchandise to justify their Latinidad.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I may have bought a t-shirt at Target that is owned by Latina women, however as a consumer who is part of the “Hispanic Buying Power” I am being more cognizant of what I buy and whom I support. The more these corporations are trying to entice us to buy all of these Latinx & Hispanic Heritage goods, the more it’s a win for them and not for us.
If you want to be mindful of your spending and to have a genuine approach in celebrating Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month, I share some tips on how to do this all for free with your nenes!
Free Activities to Celebrate Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month With Your Kids
Cook Some Comida
This is obvious, but try to do something new or out of the ordinary when you cook a meal. I challenge you to make a meal you’ve never made!
Perhaps it’s a dish that only your mami or abuelita have made and you may either want to replicate it or add your own spin on it. What you can also do is make a Latin/Hispanic dish that is outside of your family’s country. That way, you can learn more about the food and country all while making a delicious meal!
Take Your Kids To A Free Event
If you have not noticed, most of the Latinx & HIspanic Heritage Month events kicked off the weekend prior to the start of the annual celebration!
At this time, there are so many free events that you can attend. All you gotta do is go to Google it! Another suggestion would be to go to Eventbrite, where they often show you a list of events in your area.
If you don’t have the time or money to take your nenes out, know that there’s so many virtual opportunities! You can go anywhere around Latin America, Spain, or the Caribbean by taking a virtual vacation or a quick virtual visit to a historic landmark.
Go to The Library and Borrow Spanish or Bilingual Books
When we celebrated D’s first Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month, I felt so pressured to buy a bulk of Spanish and bilingual books for his library. Instead, I didn’t think about my local library and taking advantage of the books they have there.
I hope that your public library has a section of Spanish and bilingual books for kids (at the very least during this time of year), but if it doesn’t have a collection of these books, know that there are digital books as well as YouTube channels for free!
Here is a list of these resources:
- Maguaré
- Unite for Literacy
- Scholastic Storybook Treasures (Español YouTube Playlist)
Do Activities at Home
Play games, a game of dominoes the Puerto Rican way or Lotería. If you have young nenes, you can play this Lotería game.
One other fun thing to do at home is to contar cuentos about your ancestors. If you have family photo albums, show pictures of your abuelos, tías, and other relatives. This is a great way to have your nenes connect with their cultura but their lineage as well.
Remember mujer, you don’t have to prove and measure how Latina you are. You don’t have to overspend on buying everything that is in the Target aisle. There are so many creative ways you can do this month with your kids.
The most important thing is that your nenes will remember doing this with you. You are creating your own tradiciones for this special month by acknowledging your identity and cultura.
