There's International Children's Day. There's World Children's Day. There's National Children's Day. And to confuse matters more, most countries have their own unique date for celebrating. But it seems we all agree, children deserve to be celebrated.
So let's celebrate! Sing a song or play a game, or read a book in Spanish with your little one. Visit our YouTube channel for ideas.
In the U.S., April 30th is El Día del Niño/El Día del Libro, often simply called, Dia. This day is closely aligned with Mexico's celebration of El Día del Niño when the streets are filled with festivities, food, dancing, music, kite-flying, sweets, and toys. But Día, has a specific focus on nurturing and promoting literacy in children and connecting them to diverse books, languages, and cultures...
Día's mission includes "introducing families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies." At Mi Casa Es Tu Casa®, we love that through our virtual and in-person bilingual music classes, we get to be that space for so many families.
Through song, play, and connection, our children are developing pre-literacy and language skills in a nurturing environment, and are getting the best start possible. For some of our children, singing in Spanish means connecting to their heritage language, and for others it means seeking out something new.
Most in-person festivals and celebrations are still on hold, but there are plenty of ways to celebrate with your children. Carve out one-on-one time for them. Buy them flowers. Check out new books from your local library and read together in the park. Sing a song together. Fly a kite.
No matter what you do, let your children know that today is their day.
And, of course, share a book in Spanish with your child. This bilingual reading of El Monstruo de Colores is one of our more popular videos. Enjoy :)
References: Learn more about the origins of El Día del Niño:
In 1924, after the devastation of the first world war, the League of Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and from there was born, International Children's Day.
Learn about how Mexico Celebrates El Día del Niño.
Learn more about el Día del Niño/el Día del Libro.
For a list of bilingual books we love for babies and children, go here.
To learn about how musical milestones closely align with and support language milestones, read our post here.