Hispanic Heritage Month Activities for Children

Hispanic Heritage Month runs September 15 to October 15 every year in the United States. In 2026 it runs from Tuesday, September 15 through Thursday, October 15, 2026. It is a 31-day observance of the cultures, histories, and contributions of Americans whose families came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. In a preschool or childcare classroom, the most effective way to mark it is through concrete, sensory activities — books, music, food, flags, and art — rather than a history lesson.

This article explains what Hispanic Heritage Month is, how to introduce it to preschoolers, and 17 classroom activities you can run with materials you already have. Every activity below includes what children practice, how long prep takes, and what you need.

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On this page

• What is Hispanic Heritage Month?
• When is Hispanic Heritage Month 2026?
• Why does Hispanic Heritage Month start on September 15?
• How do you explain Hispanic Heritage Month to preschoolers?
• Hispanic Heritage Month activities at a glance
• 17 Hispanic Heritage Month activities for preschoolers
• How to involve families in Hispanic Heritage Month
• Hispanic Heritage Month FAQs

What is Hispanic Heritage Month?

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a yearly observance from September 15 to October 15 in the United States that recognizes the cultures, histories, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It also marks the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries. The official federal name is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and the observance is coordinated by the Library of Congress together with the National Archives, the Smithsonian, the National Park Service, and other federal cultural institutions.

The observance began in 1968 as a week-long event called Hispanic Heritage Week, authorized by Congress under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two decades later it was expanded to a 31-day period when President Ronald Reagan signed Public Law 100-402 on August 17, 1988. The full legislative history is documented in the Congressional Research Service fact sheet on National Hispanic Heritage Month.

When is Hispanic Heritage Month 2026?

Hispanic Heritage Month 2026 runs from Tuesday, September 15 through Thursday, October 15, 2026. The observance falls on the same dates every year in the United States, so programs can plan the same four-and-a-half week block into their curriculum calendar annually.

Why does Hispanic Heritage Month start on September 15?

September 15 is the independence anniversary of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16 and Chile celebrates on September 18, so the mid-month start date places all of those anniversaries inside the observance.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population of the United States was 70.1 million as of July 1, 2025, making it the nation’s largest racial or ethnic minority at 21% of the total population. The median age of the Hispanic population in 2025 was 31.1 years, which means a large share of the children in early education classrooms today come from Hispanic families.

How do you explain Hispanic Heritage Month to preschoolers?

Explain Hispanic Heritage Month to preschoolers as a time when the country celebrates families whose relatives came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Preschoolers understand culture best through concrete experiences, so pair the explanation with a book, a song, a food, or a flag rather than a history lesson.

Representation matters, and you can introduce these histories and cultures right from your classroom without having to travel. This approach lines up with the four core goals of anti-bias education described by NAEYC: a confident sense of identity, comfort with human diversity, a sense of fairness, and the skills to stand up for oneself and others. Cultural learning works best woven through the whole year rather than concentrated into one month, so treat the activities below as a starting point you return to.

Hispanic Heritage Month activities at a glance

Use this table to match an activity to the time and materials you actually have. Prep time is setup for a class of 12 to 16 children.

17 Hispanic Heritage Month activities for preschoolers

1. Read picture books by Latino authors

One way to introduce Latin American history and culture to the children in your class is to read books that highlight the Latino experience or focus on the contributions of a historical change-maker. Each of these tells the story through one person’s life, which is easier for preschoolers to follow than a broad cultural overview.

• Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla is a picture book about singer Selena and her rise to stardom, from singing in her family’s band at rodeos and quinceañeras to performing in front of thousands of people.
• Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx is the story of Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. In this bilingual English and Spanish book, children learn about Sotomayor’s childhood in the Bronx and her determination.
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré is a picture book biography about the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library. She was a skilled storyteller and puppeteer.
• Alma and How She Got Her Name is about Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela and her many names. Throughout the story she learns the origins of each name and its connection to a family member.
• Dreamers is an illustrated memoir about the gifts migrants bring with them when they leave their homes. It includes an autobiographical essay about the author’s own immigration from Mexico to Texas with her two-month-old son.

2. Explore Spanish-speaking countries with flag flashcards

Tour countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean right in your classroom with flashcards. Write the name of the country on one side of the card and paste a picture of the country and its flag outline on the other side. Or download these free printable flashcards of countries where Spanish is the native language, then discuss facts about each country such as the food, arts, and people.

You can also help children match the country name to the country flag with these free printable materials. Once children are familiar with the various flags, have them color a picture of a flag with the appropriate colors using these free flag templates.

3. Introduce Spanish language lessons

If you don’t already teach Spanish to your preschoolers, Hispanic Heritage Month is a good time to start, and you can continue the lessons all year long. If you or another teacher is bilingual or a native Spanish speaker, you can lead lessons on the language spoken across most of Latin America.

If you’re not a Spanish speaker, several programs can help children learn common words and phrases. Elisabeth from Spanish Mama compiled a list of strategies to help teachers and non-native speakers teach the language to preschool children, and created Spanish preschool curriculum resources with ready-made stories, activities, and printables. A tool like brightwheel’s lesson plan feature lets you build custom lesson plans for your preschool or childcare program and share daily progress with families, so they stay connected to their child’s learning.

4. Share traditional Latin American foods

Talking about and eating Latin American food is another way to teach children about Hispanic and Latino culture. If you have families in your community who identify with this culture, ask them to volunteer to bring in a traditional dish to share with the class, as school guidelines allow. Dishes can be as simple as tacos, quesadillas, carnitas, or flan. As the children eat, discuss the spices and ingredients — corn, cumin, beans, avocado, peppers — that make these dishes taste the way they do.

Let’s Cook Spanish by Gabriela Llamas features 30 traditional Spanish recipes along with notes on Spanish culture, including tapas, Spanish pizza, and vegetable soup.

5. Play Latin music and dance

Playing Latin music is a simple way to introduce children to Hispanic culture, and you can encourage them to dance as they listen. Many child-friendly Latin songs work well in the classroom, and this is something you can do all year during free play or movement breaks.

Songs to start with include Mi Cuerpo, Oye Como Va, Los Pollitos, and Turn the Beat Around. These teach children Spanish words and introduce them to Latin musical styles.

6. Make a paper plate sombrero

Crafts give children an interactive way to learn about different cultures. Try this preschool-friendly sombrero craft with your class. All you need is a paper plate, a plastic cup, a few fuzzy pom poms, and some yarn. Pair the craft with a short conversation about where sombreros are worn and why wide brims are useful in hot climates, so the activity teaches context and not just decoration.

7. Play Lotería

You can play alphabet bingo to help your preschoolers learn their letters, or play the Mexican version, called Lotería. Call the letters in English first and then in Spanish to help children associate the letters in both languages. Children can use dry beans or stickers to mark the letters on their cards as they’re announced. When someone gets a row, they shout “buenas” or “lotería” to show they won.

You can also play the picture version of Lotería with printable cards. Call out the names of the items on the cards and children place a bean or sticker as they identify the correct picture.

8. Sing children’s songs in Spanish

Introducing children to songs in Spanish helps them pick up the language, and it’s something you can do all year long. This song list is categorized by theme, and includes number and alphabet songs, nursery rhymes, and songs about family.

9. Make homemade maracas

Children love making music, and you can extend a dance party by having them make homemade maracas. You’ll need plastic eggs, plastic spoons, dry rice or beans, and painter’s tape. Here is how to make one:

• Have each child pour dry rice or beans into a plastic egg.
• Close the egg and tape it shut along the seams with painter’s tape.
• Place the egg into the heads of two plastic spoons so the spoons cradle it.
• Tape the spoon heads to the egg.
• Tape the spoon handles together to form the maraca handle.

• Experiment with different fillings so children can hear the different sounds each one makes.

10. Celebrate Frida Kahlo

Teach your class about the influential Mexican painter Frida Kahlo by reading the picture book Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, which centers on the many pets that inspired her art and life. Follow the read-aloud by having children draw a self-portrait with an animal they love. This activity also works when you celebrate Women’s History Month with your preschoolers.

11. Read bilingual picture books

Reading bilingual picture books expands children’s Spanish vocabulary and helps them develop an appreciation for Latino culture. This curated list of bilingual board books for children ages 0 to 4 features text in both Spanish and English.

12. Cook simple quesadillas

Help children assemble cheese quesadillas using tortillas and mild cheese, then cook them yourself while children watch from a safe distance. Children learn about traditional Mexican foods through hands-on participation, and the assembly step builds sequencing skills. Check allergy and food handling rules for your program before cooking with children.

13. Create colorful papel picado

Cut simple patterns into colorful tissue paper to make traditional Mexican decorations. Children develop scissor and fine motor skills while learning about a festive art form used across Mexico at celebrations. String the finished pieces across your classroom for the month.

14. Play musical cards

Musical cards is played like musical chairs. Create your own cards or use printable cards with letters, numbers, or colors with Spanish vocabulary written on them. If your lesson is focused on numbers, give a number card to each child, turn on Latin music, and let the children dance and move around. When the music stops, announce a number in English and then in Spanish. The child holding that number sits down. Repeat until one child is left standing.

15. Make paletas

Paletas are frozen Mexican treats made with fresh fruit and a creamy or water base, similar to popsicles. These easy paleta recipes work well on a warm September afternoon, and they need to be made the day before so they have time to freeze.

To extend the lesson, read Paletero Man, a picture book about a young boy searching his neighborhood for the paleta-maker in hopes of a tasty treat.

16. Play “What’s missing?” in Spanish

“What’s missing?” is a vocabulary game that expands preschool children’s Spanish word bank. Place a set of four to five objects or pictures in front of the children, ideally from a similar category such as animals or fruit. Have the children sit around the objects and close their eyes. While their eyes are closed, remove one object and hide it under a cloth. When the children open their eyes, ask them “¿Cuál falta?” (What’s missing?). Once guessed, try again with another object or another set.

17. Color Hispanic Heritage Month sheets

If you’re looking for a simple, creative activity, let children color these traditional Mexican clothing and Hispanic Heritage Month flag coloring sheets, or decorate a piñata with these piñata coloring sheets. These need about five minutes of prep and work well as a quiet-time option.

How to involve families in Hispanic Heritage Month

Invite families to share a traditional dish, a song, a children’s book, or a few words in Spanish with the class. Families who speak Spanish at home are your best resource for pronunciation and for stories that are specific rather than generic, and an invitation to contribute signals that their culture belongs in the classroom.

Documenting the activities matters as much as running them. Programs that use brightwheel can post photos and a short explanation of each activity to the family feed the same day, so families see the cultural learning their child took part in. In brightwheel’s own customer surveys, 95% of admins and staff report that brightwheel improves communication with families.

Hispanic Heritage Month FAQs

When is Hispanic Heritage Month 2026?

Hispanic Heritage Month 2026 runs from Tuesday, September 15 through Thursday, October 15, 2026. The observance falls on the same dates every year in the United States.

How long is Hispanic Heritage Month?

Hispanic Heritage Month is a 31-day observance, running from September 15 through October 15. It began in 1968 as a week-long observance and was expanded to a full month in 1988.

Why does Hispanic Heritage Month start in the middle of September?

September 15 is the independence anniversary of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16 and Chile celebrates on September 18, so the mid-month start date places all of those anniversaries inside the observance.

How do you explain Hispanic Heritage Month to preschoolers?

Explain Hispanic Heritage Month to preschoolers as a time when the country celebrates families whose relatives came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Preschoolers understand culture best through concrete experiences, so pair the explanation with a book, a song, a food, or a flag rather than a history lesson.

What are the easiest Hispanic Heritage Month activities for preschoolers?

The easiest Hispanic Heritage Month activities for preschoolers are the ones that need five minutes of prep or less: reading a bilingual picture book, playing Latin music during free play, coloring flag sheets, and playing Lotería with printable cards. Crafts like paper plate sombreros and homemade maracas take about 15 minutes to set up.

What picture books are good for Hispanic Heritage Month in preschool?

Strong picture book choices for preschool include Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla, Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, Alma and How She Got Her Name, and Dreamers. Each one tells a Latino story through a single person’s life, which is easier for preschoolers to follow than a broad cultural overview.

Is it called Hispanic Heritage Month or Latino Heritage Month?

The federal observance is officially named National Hispanic Heritage Month, and that is the name used in the presidential proclamation each year. Many schools and communities also use Latino Heritage Month or Latinx Heritage Month, and the terms are often used interchangeably.

How can childcare programs involve families in Hispanic Heritage Month?

Invite families to share a traditional dish, a song, a children’s book, or a few words in Spanish with the class. Programs that use brightwheel can post photos and a short explanation of each activity to the family feed the same day, so families see the cultural learning their child took part in.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month creates an inclusive environment

The Hispanic population is the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the United States, and representation matters in the classroom. Creating an environment where children are unafraid to explore and ask questions builds curiosity and respect for other backgrounds and cultures. For more classroom ideas and primary sources, the Library of Congress research guide on National Hispanic Heritage Month collects photographs, recordings, and teaching materials you can use with young children.

Honor the diversity of your community by acknowledging other important celebrations throughout the year:

• Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Black History Month
• Juneteenth
• Native American Heritage Month
• Women’s History Month

Brightwheel is an all-in-one childcare management software that saves time and simplifies operations for early education providers. From billing and parent communication to curriculum and admissions, it combines everything you need in one easy-to-use platform. Trusted by millions of educators and families and backed by a dedicated support team, brightwheel strengthens family connections and ensures seamless operations with reliable performance and robust security. With brightwheel, you’ll spend less time on admin, more time with children.