5 Hispanic Heritage Month Facts for Kids
This week kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated every year from September 15th to October 15th in the US. As Spanish teachers, bilingual parents, or families with kids learning Spanish as a second language, celebrating Hispanic heritage is an all-year-round kind of thing. But this month gives us time to increase our exposure to the positive impact of our fellow Hispanic authors, leaders, entertainers, athletes, and inventors. So here are five Hispanic Heritage Month facts for kids to get the celebration started.
Want a quick video introduction to Hispanic Heritage Month for kids? Watch this video from PBS Learning Media, here. And continue reading below for five Hispanic Heritage Month facts for kids.
#1 Hispanic Heritage Month started out as Hispanic Heritage Week
Starting in 1968, President Johnson created a time to honor Hispanic heritage, but it was only a week long. Not until 1988, did President Reagan bump it up from a week to a month.
#2 It celebrates the independence of seven Hispanic countries
The reason Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15th is to coincide with the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Plus the independence of Mexico on September 16th and Chile on September 18th. That’s a lot to celebrate.
#3 There are A LOT of Hispanic people in the US
In fact, Hispanics account for the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the country. And while Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the US…
#4 … It’s OK if you don’t speak Spanish
There is a growing number of Hispanic-Americans that don’t speak Spanish. And that’s OK! The ability to speak Spanish doesn’t make you any less Hispanic. There are so many ways to celebrate culture (like food, music, dance, holidays, clothes, movies, and traditions). Language is only one aspect of any given culture. And it’s important to remember that with so many Hispanic countries comes an infinite amount of ways to celebrate Hispanic culture. Which is why…
#5 There is no ONE way to be Hispanic
And that’s the beauty of Hispanic culture. There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries and territories around the world. Add to that the combination of cultures for people of mixed ancestry. People who are both Dominican and Puerto Rican, or Colombian and Peruvian, or Spanish and Ecuadorian, or any number of combinations and American. Which means there’s A LOT of ways to be Hispanic. It means different music, slang, customs, food, and traditions for the nearly 60 million Hispanic people in the US.Â
So take advantage of Hispanic Heritage Month to share what you can about your culture or learn what you want about another Hispanic culture. You don’t need to know everything, but you can definitely learn something new.
Want some book recommendations to keep you learning something new this month? Check out these 21 Hispanic Heritage Month Kids’ Books.
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