You found our list of Hispanic Heritage Month activities and ideas for the workplace.
National Hispanic Heritage Month happens between September 15 and October 15, and the starting date signifies the day that Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua gained independence. This occasion is a celebration of Hispanic culture and achievement. This month is also known as Mexican Heritage Month or Latinx Heritage Month. You can celebrate this event both in person and virtually.
The month can include a virtual team celebration at work, and can also be observed by sharing National Hispanic Heritage month quotes.
The ideas are similar to ways to recognize Black History Month at work, ideas for Asian Heritage Month, and ideas for Arab Heritage Month.
This article includes:
- Hispanic Heritage Month ideas for work
- ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
- how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at work
- Hispanic Heritage Month events
- Hispanic Heritage Month games
- Hispanic Heritage Month activities for adults
- things to do for Hispanic Heritage Month
Let’s get to it!
List of Hispanic Heritage Month ideas, activities and games
From lunch and learns to cooking classes to collaborative playlists, here is a list of engaging ideas to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the office.
1. National Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia
National Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia is a one-hour, fully facilitated virtual team building game. A host guides teams through a number of knowledge-based challenges and mini games revolving around the achievements of members of the Hispanic community. The trivia questions span a variety of fields and topics and demonstrate the diversity of the Latinx world. Participants will learn facts, show smarts, and bond with coworkers in the process, all while honoring Latinx culture and trailblazers.
Learn more about National Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia.
2. Care Packages
One of the most impactful ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at work is to give employees care packages full of goodies from Latinx owned businesses. This gesture not only treats employees, but also directly supports the Hispanic entrepreneur community.
These boxes can include small gifts such as snacks, art, stationery, chapstick, lotion, candles, mugs, and plants, however you can fill packages with whatever kind of items most suit employees’ interest.
Here is a list of Latinx-owned businesses from Good Housekeeping, as well as a collection of Latinx self care brands from Well + Good.
Here are more employee gift ideas.
3. Lunch and Learns
Lunch and learns are employee engagement activities where staff members listen to lectures and learn about a chosen topic over lunch break. Often, these events include a meal provided by the employer. You can plan a special Hispanic History Month lunch and learn to educate staff more about the Latinx community, or explore lesser-known Latinx topics in depth.
For example, you can explore the difference between the terms Hispanic and Latinx, chart the history of Latinx members in your field or industry at large, or the Hispanic community’s contributions to the LGBTQ+ movement.
Pro tip: Partner with a Latinx-owned restaurant to cater an authentic meal for guests.
Check out this list of virtual lunch and learn ideas for inspiration.
4. Employee Resource Groups
Employee resource groups are staff-run organizations that revolve around a certain interest or identity. These groups empower staff to share, commiserate, ask and offer advice, and find support from colleagues with similar perspectives and experiences. If your company does not yet have an employee resource group for Latinx staff, then National Hispanic Heritage Month is a good time to start one. For best results, give group members discretion to name and structure the group, and of course, make membership optional. If your organization is too small to support such a group at this time, then instead make your staff aware of the existence of resource groups within your city or industry.
Learn more about employee resource group best practices.
5. Team Lunches or Dinners
Team meals are one of the most common team outing ideas, as well as one of the most delicious ways to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at work. The Hispanic world has a rich and diverse culinary culture that is worth celebrating yearlong, and from September to October especially. You can either cater food into the office or make a restaurant reservation for the team. Or, if your team is remote, then you can ask attendees to order takeout food from a favorite local Latinx restaurant, reimburse the meal costs, meet up on Zoom, and ask each guest to talk about the dish and the restaurant.
6. Cooking Classes
Food is a major part of Hispanic culture. Your team may not be satisfied merely eating delicious dishes, and may be curious about making those recipes. Cooking classes make an excellent team building activity for Hispanic Heritage Month. You can either invite a Latinx chef to lead the class or take your team to an onsite kitchen, or ask staff if anyone would like to volunteer to demonstrate family recipes. Or, if all else fails, then you and the group can follow a video tutorial on YouTube.
Pro Tip: If you are running a DIY cooking class, then reimburse participants the cost of ingredients.
Check out this list of online group cooking classes.
7. Dance Lessons
Latinx culture is well known for its contributions to the world of dance. There are many different kinds of Latin music and accompanying dances, such as salsa, rumba, bachata, meringue, and mambo. One way to pay homage to these accomplishments is to hold Latin dance lessons for employees.
You can either take your team out to a local ballroom for an introductory lesson, or invite an instructor into the office to teach moves. You can also find and follow a dance tutorial online.
Pro tip: To prolong the fun, host a social dance after the lesson, and award a “Dancing With the Stars” style trophy to the pair with the best moves at the end of the evening.
Or, if your team members have two left feet, then you can invite dancers in for a performance and enjoy the show instead of trying to master new moves.
8. Movie Nights
Movie nights are one of the easiest team building activities for Hispanic Heritage Month. To set up your screening, simply pick a flick, secure a screen and projector, and invite your team to watch the film together. If some or all attendees are remote, then the group can sync video using an app like Teleparty or Watch2Gether.
Here are some movies for Hispanic Heritage Month:
- In The Heights
- Selena
- Roma
- Coco
- Real Women Have Curves
- Like Water for Chocolate
- Discovering Columbia
- The Book of Life
- West Side Story
A nice added touch is to swap out or supplement more standard movie-viewing snacks with Hispanic snacks like Takis and Latin American candies.
Here are more movie suggestions for teams.
9. Book Club
Reading the works of Latinx authors is one of the most meaningful ways to observe Hispanic Heritage Month. Themed book club meetings can shine a light directly on the voices of the Hispanic community and help attendees empathize with authentic experiences.
Some book suggestions:
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
- The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
- The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
- The Poetry of Pablo Neruda
At the beginning of the month or a few weeks before the month begins, have club members vote on a book. Then, allow a few weeks of reading time before meeting up to discuss the novel or memoir.
Pro tip: Reimbursing the costs of buying the book or a snack for the meeting is a much-appreciated touch.
Check out more reading recommendations for work.
10. Online Tours
Your team may not be able to explore the lush landscapes and majestic monuments of Latin America, yet taking a Zoom tour is the next best option. Online tours make one of the best virtual Hispanic Heritage Month ideas. You can share the screen while viewing a self-guided digital tour of a museum, park, or cultural site, or book a hosted Zoom tour.
Here are some suggestions:
- Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum
- Museum of Latin American Art
- Google Arts & Culture Latino Cultures in the US
- Frida Kahlo Museum
Check out more virtual tours.
11. Collaborative Playlists
Music is a massive part of Hispanic culture. One of the easiest ways to observe the month is to build a special playlist to send to the team. The most interactive method is to make the playlist collaborative and ask team members to suggest their favorite songs by Latinx artists.
We made an example below.
Here are more team songs that are great for work.
12. Find the Flag
Find the flag is a fun game for Hispanic Heritage Month. There are around 20 countries in Latin America. In this challenge, players must name the nation that belongs to the flag. You can also play variations of the game where participants must identify countries on a map, capital cities, or landmarks. Or, you can turn Find the Flag into an in-person scavenger hunt where players must locate and collect the flags of each country by following clues.
13. Language Lessons
Spanish is the primary language spoken throughout the Hispanic world, though there are different dialects or other tongues. Hosting language lessons can strengthen communication skills while paying homage to the richness of the Spanish language. You and the team can sign up for a course together, download Duolingo, or schedule practice speaking sessions. You can also memorize key words and phrases, and work up to having full conversations.
14. Slack Emojis
Creating custom Slack emojis is one of the best virtual Hispanic Heritage Month ideas. These new, themed emoticons can add a touch of flair and pride to workplace communications throughout the month and beyond. Examples of emojis to make could include Spanish words such as “Bueno,” and “Si,” as well as Hispanic icons like Rita Moreno and Gloria Estefan. Feel free to ask staff for suggestions on what emoticons to add.
Here is a tutorial on creating custom Slack emojis, and here is a list of helpful Slack apps.
15. Employee Spotlight
Employee spotlights are a way to shout out the Latinx superstars on your team. Simply choose an employee or a group of employees to profile, ask for permission, then ask questions and collect quotes. Then, edit the piece and publish the profile on social media, in your company blog, or in an internal newsletter. Alternatively, you can do an employee takeover and give the chosen team member permission to post content on your blog or social media profile.
Pro tip: Permit team members the option to decline gracefully. If your employees do proceed with the interview, it is a good idea for the spotlight to focus just as much on their work achievements and other interests as their Latinx identities.
16. Happy Hour
Theming team happy hours in honor of Latinx Heritage Month is one of the simplest ways to honor the occasion in the workplace. Simply swap your routine happy hour menu and conversation for a program with a more Latinx influence.
The margarita is far from the only contribution the Hispanic world has made to the world of adult beverages. Here is a list of lesser-known Latinx cocktails to try at your next gathering.
You can also play music, host themed trivia, and even carry out icebreaker questions in Spanish.
Check out this guide to virtual happy hours.
17. Art Class
The Latin American world is full of many different types of art. One way to celebrate Hispanic culture during the month is to host a class focused on Latinx art. For instance, a paint and sip recreating a popular painting, papel picado aka perforated paper, jewelry-making, or worry dolls.
For inspiration, here is a list of Hispanic Heritage Month crafts from Huffpost.
You can either invite an artist to lead the class, or follow step by step instructions or a video tutorial.
Check out this list of online art classes.
18. Nonprofit Donation
One of the most meaningful Hispanic Heritage Month activities is to donate to a Latinx-focused nonprofit organization.
Here are a few suggestions:
- United We Dream
- Hispanic Heritage Foundation
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund
- National Alliance for Hispanic Health
- Voto Latino
- Safe Passage Project
- Latino Community Foundation
You can also ask team members to recommend their favorite Hispanic nonprofits.
Pro tip: Offer to match employee donations up to a certain amount.
Check out this list of online volunteering ideas or virtual fundraising tips for more fun with philanthropy.
Hispanic Heritage Month tips
Here are best practices for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the office.
1. Celebrate the diversity of Hispanic culture
Latin America includes over 20 countries and many different cultures. There is no one universal Latinx experience. Latinx lives can vary based on country of birth, economic status, immigration, gender, ancestry, and other factors. Understanding these facts will help you to throw a more conscious and authentic Hispanic Heritage Month celebration that celebrates individuality as well as the community at large.
2. Ditch stereotypes
There is more to the Hispanic culture than Mexico, just as there is more to Mexico than sombreros and piñatas. Use Hispanic Heritage Month as an opportunity to learn more about cultures that may be unfamiliar to you instead of relying on the comfort of tropes and stereotypes. Even if you mean no harm, making cultural assumptions can be upsetting. Approach the occasion with a sense of curiosity and ask respectful questions instead of judging or guessing.
3. Practice what you preach and put your money where your mouth is
First, make sure that you foster a safe and supportive environment for Latinx staff not only during this month, but year round. It is not enough to merely praise Hispanic culture if you do not also empower your Latinx staff. Also, make efforts to actively support the Latinx community during your festivities, for instance, by purchasing food or care package products from Hispanic-owned businesses.
4. Be inclusive
Some folks misunderstand the point of identity-based celebrations and become upset. The purpose of heritage and history months is not to throw an exclusive party for members of the specific community, but rather as a collective celebration of the group. Outsiders can and should participate in the occasion by honoring, appreciating, and learning about the celebrated culture. Make it clear to your staff that the festivities are open to all and every employee is encouraged to participate.
Final Thoughts
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the workplace is not only a chance to appreciate Latinx staff and community at large, but also a bonding opportunity for the whole team. The Hispanic world has made major contributions to global culture, including music, food, science, education, and art, and it is worth giving credit where credit is due and learning more about this fascinating history.
Acknowledging this occasion in the office can make Hispanic team members feel accepted and valued, and can embolden Latinx staff to have a more powerful voice in the workplace. Not to mention, these festivities are fun and can give a widened perspective to the team at large.
For more celebration ideas, check out this list of Cinco de Mayo activities for work and these virtual Halloween party ideas.
Angela Robinson