You can’t look at an area of American culture without seeing the influence of Hispanic people and their culture impacting the way we live, work, and play.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to honor and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans and how they've inspired our culture as a whole.
What began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 expanded 20 years later in 1988 to Hispanic Heritage Month as we now know it. Each year from September 15 to October 15, we pay homage to the Hispanic culture.
One of the best ways to honor Hispanic Heritage Month with your family is by completing arts and crafts projects. Not only can you learn about important contributions made by Hispanics and their culture as a whole, but you can also complete a fun project to honor them.
Here are five arts and crafts ideas to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
Frida Kahlo Paper Plate Craft
The late Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a renowned Mexican painter whose impact is still felt today. She is known for her self-portraits, portraits, and other art inspired by nature and her home country, Mexico.
This project from Box of Ideas is great for all artistic levels, and you likely have the simple materials at home already.
Just download a Frida Kahlo printable and gather coloring materials, scissors, glue, scrap materials like ribbons, and a paper plate. Then let your creativity run wild as you honor Frida Kahlo.
Build a Piñata
The piñata is a major part of Mexican and Latin American culture often included at celebrations such as birthday parties.
Piñatas are colorful hollow containers made of papier-mâché, cloth, or pottery and are filled with candy and hit until broken apart during a celebration.
This project from Inspired by Family requires only a few simple items to complete.
Just gather plastic or Styrofoam cups, candy, tissue paper, glue, and string, and you can create a fun and creative piñata to celebrate Hispanic history during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Taíno Petroglyph Rocks
The Taíno people were an Indigenous group of the Caribbean who lived in Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
The Taíno people etched petroglyphs using a stone chisel and hammerstone that would expose the lighter rock underneath to form rock art. Archaeologists studied these images to understand more about the Taíno lifestyle and beliefs.
Today, you can find petroglyphs throughout Puerto Rico.
To produce your own Taíno petroglyph project like the one on Kid World Citizen, you need only rocks, a permanent marker, and images of Taíno symbols.
Simply look at the Taíno symbols and use the permanent marker to draw the symbols on the rock. Alternatively, instead of drawing on a rock, you can do the same on a piece of wood or ceramic tile.
As you’re drawing the symbols, be sure to learn what the symbols mean in order to better understand Taíno culture.
Mexican Day of the Dead Paper Flowers
Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos/Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday on November 1 and 2. During this celebration, family and friends pray for and remember loved ones who have died. Outside of Mexico, in Spain and the majority of Latin America, the similar All Saints' Day is celebrated on November 1.
Ways of celebrating Day of the Dead include building home altars to honor those who have died with their favorite foods and visiting their gravesites with gifts.
The Mexican marigold (cempasuchil) is the traditional flower used to honor those who have died during Day of the Dead.
That’s where this paper flower craft from De Su Mama comes in. You can recreate the Mexican marigold or other flowers of different colors using tissue paper, scissors, and green pipe cleaners.
Guatemalan Independence Day Craft
Guatemala is a Central American country located south of Mexico. September 15 is Guatemalan Independence Day, which commemorates the independence of Guatemala from Spanish rule in 1821.
This day of celebration is often commemorated with the white and blue Guatemalan flag, concerts, the marimba (Guatemala’s national instrument), tortillas, tostados, tacos, and fireworks.
This craft from Growing Up Bilingual involves making the national Guatemalan bird, the quetzal, which symbolizes liberty and is part of the Guatemalan coat of arms.
To create this fun and colorful project, you need green and red tissue paper, a toilet paper tube, googly eyes, scissors, a stapler, tape, glue, a wood dowel, and thick yellow foam paper. You might not have the wooden dowel and thick yellow foam paper lying around the house, but these are both items you can find at your local craft store or order online.
