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Hispanic Heritage Month is an excellent opportunity to teach students about influential Hispanic figures from the past and present. You can also celebrate this important month by showcasing Hispanic history, culture, and the Spanish language in your curriculum, no matter what class you teach.

Discover ways to integrate Hispanic Heritage Month activities into your school day and honor the contributions of Hispanic leaders, artists, athletes, and icons worldwide.

What is Hispanic Heritage Month?

Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th and ends on October 15th each year. It spans the historical celebrations of independence days in Mexico, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, and several other Latin American countries. It also focuses on how the Hispanic community has contributed to world progress in many fields.

The first National Hispanic Heritage Month was instituted by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, expanding the existing Hispanic Heritage Week (which began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson). Today, the United States government commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month in many departments, and teachers around the country take time to teach students about significant individuals.

Hispanic Heritage Month Activities for Elementary Students

Hispanic Heritage Month comes at the beginning of the school year, making it a great introductory unit for your elementary students. Prepare your fall curriculum to include lessons on Hispanic historical figures, Spanish words and phrases, and Hispanic Heritage Month crafts that double as beautiful bulletin board decorations.

Decorate your classroom with Hispanic heritage arts and crafts

Present students with notable Hispanic historical figures in creative, hands-on ways. Hispanic Heritage Month crafts teach students about prominent members of the Hispanic community as they work. When you add them to a display, they help class visitors and guests learn about this culture, too.

Hispanic Heritage Month Bulletin Board Activity in English & Spanish- Hispanidad
by La Misi de Espanol
Subjects: Other (ELA), Spanish

Use a collaborative bulletin board project as a beginning-of-the-year icebreaker! Students decorate a puzzle piece printout with their favorites in different categories, including foods from Spanish-speaking cultures, positive phrases in Spanish, and more.

Frida Kahlo Door Decor Set – Spanish
by SraDavilaMadwid
Subjects: Art History, Spanish

Make Frida Kahlo and her work the focus of your classroom before you even open the door. This resource includes everything you need to create a door-sized tribute to Frida, including printable clipart, a quote in Spanish, and instructions to assemble the finished product.

Immerse your class in Hispanic culture and the Spanish language

Help elementary learners celebrate the life and culture of those in the Hispanic community with resources focused on Spanish and Hispanic culture. You’ll bridge the gap between Hispanic students and non-Hispanic students in your class, all while setting a context for additional Hispanic Heritage Month activities.

Bilingual Hispanic Heritage Word Search Puzzles | Mes de la Herencia Hispana
by Biliteracy Now
Grades: 2nd-5th
Subjects: Spanish

Three printable Hispanic Heritage Month word searches encourage students to find important words, including “diversity,” “celebration,” and “independence.” Each version comes in both English and Spanish, allowing you to differentiate instruction and challenge English speakers to learn new Spanish words. 

Fiesta Mexicana Speech Therapy Language Boom Deck Hispanic Heritage
by Talking About Talking-Speech Therapy
Grades: PreK-3rd

Speech therapy students use a Hispanic Heritage-themed Boom Learning activity to practice important language skills, such as sequencing, spatial concepts, and expanded utterances. With games like loteria (Bingo) and sorting activities, the resource guides speech students through their objectives and teaches them about Hispanic culture.

Research and discuss inspirational Hispanic leaders

A main focus of Hispanic Heritage Month is learning about specific leaders in the Hispanic community, both past and present. Take elementary students through the steps of learning about a chosen Hispanic figure, researching them, and writing a final report about what they’ve learned with resources aligned to CCSS.

Hispanic Heritage Month Teaching Slides
by forkin4th
Grades: 2nd-5th
Subjects: Character Education, Latino and Hispanic Studies
Standards: CCSS SL.2.3, SL.3.3, SL.4.2, SL.5.2

Teach students about more than 20 Hispanic leaders in different fields with a set of instructional slides. Each slide features a biography and video clip for elementary learners to discuss one Hispanic figure a day, plus an editable section to help you discuss local leaders in the Hispanic community.

Hispanic Heritage Month Writing Activities Spanish – Herencia Hispana Escritura
by Mrs Cabello Spanish Class
Grades: 1st-4th
Subjects: Spanish

How much does your class know about Selena, Lionel Messi, Rita Moreno, or other prominent Hispanic people? Use Hispanic Heritage Month activities that include writing templates, instructional bookmarks, and sentence practice worksheets to focus on writing skills.

Hispanic Heritage Month Biography Project | Google Slides™ 
by Teaching with Aris
Grades: 2nd-5th
Subjects: Latino and Hispanic Studies, Social Studies
Standards: CCSS RI.2.1, 10, RI.3.1, 5, 10, RI.4.2, 10

Practice long-term research skills with a CCSS-aligned resource on Hispanic Heritage Month. Students use a set of Google Slides and graphic organizers to learn more about Hispanic leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Dolores Huerta, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as their accomplishments and significance to the past and present.

Middle and High School Hispanic Heritage Month Activities

Once students reach middle and high school, they’re ready for more complex topics and assignments. Use these Hispanic Heritage Month activities for students in middle and high school to discuss the Hispanic diaspora, notable people in the Hispanic community, cultural traditions, and more.

Integrate Hispanic Heritage Month into everyday lessons

Hispanic Heritage Month doesn’t need to be a stand-alone lesson. Use straightforward daily activities, like high school writing prompts, to make each day of Hispanic Heritage Month an important teaching opportunity.

Hispanic Heritage Month Daily Agenda Slides | Attendance Questions, Editable 
by Teacher Noire
Grades: 5th-8th

Themed attendance questions serve a dual purpose in your middle school classes. First, they allow you to combine the act of taking attendance with daily journal or discussion prompts. Next, this set of Google Slides introduces important themes of Hispanic Heritage Month with questions about Spanish-speaking countries and prominent leaders in the Hispanic community.

Hispanic Heritage Month Activities Bulletin Board Notable Person of the Day
by Sra Cruz
Grades: 7th-10th
Subjects: Spanish, World Languages

Why choose one Hispanic American leader to research when you can learn about 30 of them? A clickable calendar assigns one historical figure to each day of Hispanic Heritage Month. Use the resource as a daily warm-up, a printable bulletin board display, or a social studies quiz.

Tap into natural curiosity with independent research activities

Take your Hispanic Heritage Month instruction away from the front of the room and into your students’ hands. Independent research activities encourage middle schoolers and high school students to use digital literacy skills to follow their own curiosity about Hispanic leaders and cultures.

Hispanic Heritage Month Internet Scavenger Hunt
by Spanish Made Easy
Grades: 6th-12th
Subjects: Spanish, World Languages

Fill in the blanks and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with an internet sleuth activity students will love. English and Spanish versions of this resource encourage learners to answer a series of questions about Hispanic history, cultural traditions, and prominent leaders.

SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES VIDEOS 101 Hispanic Videos Hispanic Heritage Month
by World Language Cafe
Grades: 4th-12th
Subjects: Spanish, World Languages

Is a trip to Machu Picchu out of the budget for your school this year? Take your students to different destinations around the globe with a series of virtual field trips to Spanish-speaking countries. With over 100 video clips and tailored questions, the resource guides students through an independent Hispanic Heritage Month project in an unforgettable way.

More Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

You can integrate Hispanic Heritage Month into every part of your classroom routine! Consider adding these lessons and activities to your day to show students how integral the Hispanic community is to your school and country.

• Read books by Hispanic authors. Elementary students will enjoy picture books by authors like Denise Vega and Xelena González, while older learners can read the works of Sandra Cisneros and Gabriel García Márquez.
• Study art by Hispanic artists. Feature prints by artists like Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali, and encourage students to create their own works in these inspirational styles.
• Play Hispanic music in class. During transitions or at the beginning of each period, play Latin music like mariachi and Latin pop. In music class, have students play songs in salsa or merengue styles.
• Add Spanish to your daily routine. Teach basic Spanish words and phrases to English-speaking students, including counting to 20 or asking classroom-related questions to their peers.
• Invite Hispanic students to share about their heritage. Volunteers can make a presentation about their family traditions, bring in cultural food or gifts, or perform music or dance in front of the class.
• Welcome Hispanic leaders from the community to speak. Find local politicians or business owners in your town to share about their Hispanic heritage and what it means to them.
• Host a Hispanic Independence Day feast. After studying about different countries and how they celebrate Independence Day in September, have students bring in foods from Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, and other countries to celebrate with a fiesta.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with TPT

Hispanic Heritage Month is an easy time to focus on the historical significance of the Hispanic community, as well as important Hispanic leaders. Find more ways to celebrate diversity during September, October, and beyond with Hispanic Heritage Month resources from TPT Teacher-Authors for every class setting and student need.