Labor Day for Kids – Lesson Plans

Kids who are already back in school will be relishing an extra-long weekend with the Labor Day holiday, but most kids probably don’t know what the holiday is really about. (Fun fact: my daughter was born on Labor Day weekend so I always say it’s to celebrate a different kind of labor.)

But Labor Day is actually a serious holiday meant to honor the struggles of previous generations of workers who fought to gain more humane working hours and conditions, to prevent child labor and to provide for the safety and health of workers in ways its easy to take for granted now.

Depending on the age of your kids, you can slip in some facts about Labor Day like these from Kids Konnect (which also has printable worksheets), or watch some of the Labor Day videos from History Channel. Did you know Labor Day actually started in Canada?

What Do We Do All Day? has a great list of books to read for Labor Day, and you can bring all the patriotic, red, white and blue crafts back for one last go if you want to give the kids something to do while the barbecue is warming up.

Do you teach your kids about Labor Day? I’d love to hear your ideas.

[Photo: from History of Labor Day video at History.com.]

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Labor Day Activities for Kids

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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