El Día de los Niños

On April 30, in conjunction with El Día de los Niños (Children’s Day), teachers across the country will organize classroom activities that reflect cultural diversity through storytelling, and highlight writing and language skills. Libraries, museums, parents’ groups and other community organizations will sponsor similar events that will also feature wood carving, pottery-making and poster design.

Though many of us will not be able to attend these events, the National Education Association's Minority Community Outreach in partnership with the National Latino Children’s Institute will post online photos of activities celebrating El Día de los Niños.

In case you're wondering about the Spanish name, it was inspired by Mexico's Día del Niño (Day of the Child), which began there in 1925 after the first World Conference for the Well-being of Children. In 1996, Texas native Pat Mora, a poet and author of children’s books, began working with Latino faculty at the University of Arizona to develop a similar celebration in the U.S.

Mora and others wanted to promote literacy and multi-cultural learning. The annual event is also referred to as El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) and is celebrated throughout Latin America and other parts of the world.

Since 1998, the U.S. Senate has passed resolutions marking April 30 as El Día de los Niños.