Día de los Niños: Celebrating Kids and Books

Dia de los niños is a celebration of children, literacy and language.
Día de los niños / Día de los libros is a celebration of children, literacy and language. April 30 is Día, so make time this month to celebrate the magic that happens when kids and books come together.

Pat Mora, founder of Día, was inspired by the festival Día de los niños in Mexico, and the two celebrations share the date of April 30. Día de los niños / Día de los libros emphasizes literacy for children from all backgrounds. It is a day to celebrate children and connect them to books and learning.

The American Library Association is a major supporter of Día. Throughout April, public libraries host celebrations with book-themed activities, games and crafts. Check with your local library to see what they have planned.

A día de los niños celebration at the San Jose Public Library
Día de los niños celebration at the San José Public Library

Schools are also a perfect place to celebrate Día. If you are a teacher or parent interested in planning a Día event, be sure to check out the excellent resources available here: How to Celebrate Día at School. You will find an fabulous toolkit with resources and a link to a discussion by representatives from the American Immigration Council and Spanish Playground, as well as Monica Olivera of Mommy Maestra and storyteller Susan K. Coti. The webinar was hosted by Lee & Low Books.

Have a Día de los Niños Party!

Día is an opportunity to emphasize the importance and joy of reading. There are countless ways to celebrate at home with family and friends.

  • Share read-alouds of favorite books.
  • Make mini-books.
  • Tell a story with puppets.
  • Do a reader’s theater. You can adapt a favorite picture book.
  • Make bookmarks.
  • Decorate book-related quotes in different languages.
  • Host a book exchange.
  • Play Picture Book Trivia or Guess That Book (based on a key sentence or two).
  • Write a thank you note to a favorite author.
  • Listen to and sing songs about reading:
    I Love Reading by the Fabulous Lemon Drops
    The Magic of Reading by Greg and Steve 
    Me gusta leer by Rockalingua
    Library Song by Tom Chapin
  • You can even create book treats for your Día party!

Find more online resources for celebrating Día de los niños /Día de los libros.  

And don’t forget, you can find wonderful books for children on our Multicultural Kids’ Books Pinterest board

Multicultural Kid Blogs wishes you a joyful Día celebration!

CC Image by Lydia Liu
CC Image by San José Library

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Jennifer raised her three children speaking English and Spanish, and she has been teaching Spanish to other young world citizens for over twenty years. On her blog Spanish Playground, she shares resources for parents and teachers of Spanish language learners.
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