August is Buwan ng Wika in the Philippines and is usually a time for Filipino-themed celebrations and activities in schools. I'd like to think it is a special time to celebrate being Filipino, though this is actually something we should do all throughout the year.
We parents, especially, need to remind our children to take pride in their cultural heritage. We need to help them cherish their being Filipino (whether in "full" or in "part"), and teach them about the beauty of our Filipino culture.
How do we do this? Here are three suggestions:
1. Read books that highlight Filipino traditions, festivals and other cultural phenomena.
We were given two wonderful children’s books earlier this year – All About the Philippines and Filipino Celebrations (both published by Tuttle Publishing and available locally in most major bookstores) – and they have been my go-to resources when it comes to teaching my kids about Filipino culture.
As a follow-up to our book-reading, we also scout for activities that we can do to reinforce what we have learned. Which brings me to my next tip:
2. Attend Filipino cultural activities, especially those that are “unusual.”
Our country’s cultural heritage is so rich and varied, so there are definitely many cultural activities that you and your kids might find “unusual” or unique. This is part of the beauty of being Filipino – there is SO much to celebrate!
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You can try searching for Filipino cultural activities in your local community or online. Or you might even be inspired to organize one in your area. Remember, you need not do this only within the month of August – every day is a day to celebrate being Pinoy!
3. Get to know important Filipino people.
Go beyond the usual Philippine history books and try to learn about other Pinoy “heroes”. You can try researching about such people online and in other ways, like magazines and books.
For us adults, I would like to recommend books like The Rise of The Pinoy: 7 Powerful Lessons of Success from 21 World-Class Filipinos, which was written by Irish motivational speaker Mike Grogan. He’s obviously not Filipino but he has a lot of good things to say about us Filipinos, among other things!
You can pick one or two of the 21 “World-Class Filipinos” in Grogan’s book, and share what you know about them with your kids during everyday conversations – the possibilities are endless!
Of course, the aforementioned ways to teach kids about Filipino culture and other things related to being Pinoy are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are certainly more things we can do to celebrate being Filipino, and we need not limit ourselves to the month of August to do them. Be proud of who you are, and what you can be – all for the sake of God and country!
How do you teach kids about Filipino culture? How do you celebrate being Filipino? We’d love to know, so please feel free to leave a comment below!