10 Kid-Approved Labor Day Activities in Spanish for Children
Happy Labor Day!
Labor Day is a unique holiday that honors the everyday worker. It’s a great opportunity to educate your family on worker’s rights, child labor, and labor unions in US history. Labor Day also highlights the value and dignity of work and its role in American life.
New York City celebrated the first Labor Day on September 5, 1882 when the Knights of Labor held a parade to celebrate workers. Later that decade, labor organizations across the country began to lobby their state legislatures for recognition of Labor Day as an official holiday. Oregon was the first state to declare it a state holiday In 1887. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland declared that Labor Day would be the first Monday in September of each year.
Here are 10 awesome activities in Spanish to do with your kids this Labor Day. Enjoy the last celebration of summer!
Super Fun Outdoor Labor Day Activities In Spanish
1. Have Fun in the Water
The weather is still steamy, so why not head to the pool, splash pad, or waterpark to celebrate Labor Day—not to mention rivers, lakes, and beaches? Enjoy some water fun at your favorite spot before it closes for the season. You can use these interesting facts about Labor Day as conversation starters:
- The average adult in the US spends over 100 hours a year commuting to work, which is more than the standard two weeks of annual vacation.
- Labor Day is also celebrated in Canada, with origins stemming from labor disputes in Toronto in the 1870s.
- Older generations considered it unacceptable to wear white after Labor Day. Fortunately, most people have thrown this antiquated rule out the window.
- The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that US citizens consume 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- Many countries, including those in Latin America, celebrate Labor Day on May 1 as May Day or International Workers Day.
You can also play around with simple Spanish conversation starters, such as:
- ¿Te gusta nadar? – Do you like to swim?
- ¿Quieres nadar? – Do you want to swim?
- Me gusta tu traje de baño. – I like your swimsuit.
- Vamos a jugar ___. – We are going to play ____.
- Quieres una bebida? Tenemos ___. – Would you like a drink? We have ___.
- Ustedes quieren comer? Trajimos ___. – Would you all like to eat? We brought ___.
2. Have a Picnic
Host a potluck picnic. Labor Day is the perfect chance to bust out the grill one last time this season. Invite your friends and relatives to a casual gathering in your backyard, or pack a picnic to share at your favorite park.
Create Spanish labels for all the foods you’re serving and practice basic Spanish conversation. Some common Labor Day picnic foods include:
- Las salchichas – sausages
- El perro caliente – hot dog
- El pollo frito – fried chicken
- La hamburguesa – hamburger
- La hamburguesa vegetariana – veggie burger
- El panecillo – bun
- El choclo – corn on the cob
- Las papas horneadas – baked potatoes
- Ensalada de papas – potato salad
- Ensalada de fruta – fruit salad
- Ensalada de col / repollo – cole slaw
- La sandía – watermelon
- La limonada – lemonade
- La cerveza – beer
- La mostaza – mustard
- La mayonesa – mayonnaise
- La salsa de tomate – ketchup
- La salsa picante – hot sauce
- El pastelito – cupcake
- El pastel / la tarta – pie
3. Go Camping
Spend a night under the stars and roast marshmallows over a campfire while the weather is still pleasant! If you’d rather stay close to home, you can even plan a camping adventure in your own backyard. With your children, make a list in Spanish of all the things you need. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- La carpa – tent
- Los almohadas – pillows
- La manta / cobija – blanket
- La bolsa de dormir – sleeping bag
- El repelente – bug spray
- La linterna – flashlight
- La luz de cabeza – head lamp
- La leña – firewood
- Los malvaviscos – marshmallows
Choose a few cool activities to do together on your camping adventure. After dark, try stargazing and discussing the moon, stars, and constellations. Observe the fireflies. Tell ghost stories or read age-appropriate books. And most fun of all, sing songs around the campfire!
4. Take a Hike
Head to the parquecito (playground) down the street or take a day trip to a nearby state or national parque (park). Take a caminata (hike), gather with some other kids at the playground, montar bicicletas (ride bikes), or go kayaking on a river or lake. The possibilities are sinfín (endless)!
5. Pick Apples
What better way to kick off fall than by visiting a huerto frutal (orchard) to pick your own apples! The season for apple picking actually starts before Labor Day, in August. If there are no apple orchards in your area, look for other types of granjas (farms) or fruit orchards that you could visit to cosechar (harvest).
Rain-or-Shine Indoor Labor Day Activities In Spanish
6. Research Potential Careers
Head to the library and help your child pick out a few books on professions that interest them. Then, read the books together and discuss the career opportunities available to them. Research how to say the professions in Spanish and help your child create a mini personal dictionary. Fill it with 10-15 vocabulary words in English and Spanish related to the career they’re interested in.
Explore the Top 10 Careers of the Future—in Spanish!
7. Thank a Community Helper
Write a thank you note in Spanish to a community helper and then send them in the mail or, better yet, hand deliver them. Thank the firefighters, paramedics, librarians, grocery clerks, doctors, nurses, teachers, or others who contribute to the community. Here are a few phrases to help you get started:
- ¡Gracias por ayudar a nuestra comunidad! – Thank you for helping our community.
- Estamos agradecidos por tus esfuerzos. – We are grateful for your efforts.
- Les apreciamos. – We appreciate you all.
8. Inspiring Historical Figures
Guide your older child or teen research and create a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation in Spanish about someone who has influenced the work environment in our country. Potential figures for this mini biography project include:
- Peter J. Maguire
- Cesar Chavez
- Sara Blackwell
- Barbara Ehrenreich
- Lucy Randolph Mason
- Helen Keller
- Eugene Victor Debs
- Mother Jones
- Joe Hill
9. Community Helper Coloring Pages
Celebrate Labor Day with these fun coloring pages of community helpers:
- Arquitecto – Architect
- Artista – Artist
- Quimico – Chemist
- Dentista – Dentist
- Granjero – Farmer
- Bombero – Firefighter
- Recolector de basura – Garbage collector
- Empleada doméstica – Maid
- Enfermero/a – Nurse
- Maestro/a – Teacher
10. Scavenger Hunt
Learn about the history and meaning of Labor Day activities in the United States with this
Labor Day scavenger hunt online. The six questions from the PDF, translated into Spanish, are:
1. ¿A quien honramos en el Día del Trabajo?
2. ¿En cual año se declaró el Día del Trabajo como un feriado nacional?
3. ¿Dónde estuvo el primer desfile del Día del Trabajo?
4. ¿Por qué decidieron celebrar el Día del Trabajo al principio de septiembre?
5. ¿Cual presidente de los EEUU firmó la ley para hacer el Día del Trabajo un feriado nacional?
6. ¿Como vas a celebrar el Día del Trabajo?
We hope you’ll enjoy these Labor Day activities in Spanish! Remember to give thanks for all the people who support the country’s industries and businesses through their work.
If you’d like your child to start a conversation with a native Spanish-speaker today, sign up for a free class! Our certified, kid-friendly Spanish teachers can’t wait to make your child smile.
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