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Annual Día de los Niños 2025

The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) is partnering with local libraries and organizations to bring our annual Día de los Niños event to the Treasure Valley. We would love for you to join us for this celebration of children, families, and literacy. The event will take place at the Meridian Library – Pinnacle Branch on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 4 to 7 p.m. Our goal is to host a fun event that offers entertainment, information, and resources helpful to parents of children of all ages. We will provide this event free of charge to attendees.

History of Día de los Niños

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), often known as Día, is a celebration of children, families, and reading that culminates every year on April 30. Celebrated since 1925 throughout Mexico, Día emphasizes the importance of  literacy and reading fun for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds through bilingual storytimes, family literacy fairs, community events, and other programs that encourage family reading and increased understanding of other cultures.

DDLN Event Partners

• Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
• Meridian Library District – Pinnacle Branch
• Boise Public Library
• 103.5 Kiss FM

Vendor Tables

• Amazon
• Boise Public Library
• Boise Urban Garden School
• CapEd Credit Union
• Catholic Charities of Idaho
• Central District Health
• Consulate of Mexico in Boise
• Commission on Hispanic Affairs
• Discovery Center of Idaho
• Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children
• Idaho Credit Central Union
• Idaho Children’s Trust Fund
• Idaho Stars
• Meridian Library District
• Nampa School District/Migrant Education Program
• 103.5 Kiss FM
• 4-H Youth Development Organization

Día Program Planning Resources 

Visit ALSC’s Día website for all the newest national resources: http://dia.ala.org/  – “Each Story Matters, Every Child Counts”

Below you will find some Idaho-specific content as well as nationally developed resources from the 20th anniversary of the program in 2018. The following program resources are available to any Idaho public or school library to plan a Día event:

Welcoming Libraries Grant

“Welcoming Libraries Grant”

• This grant is $1,000 and focuses on supporting activities that improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries to better serve Idaho’s underserved groups of children. You could use this grant to help set up your library for bilingual programming such as reoccurring bilingual storytimes and assisting on outreach services to assure you’re reaching all of your community’s children.

Library Outreach to Children Program

“Library Outreach to Children Program”

• The Library Outreach to Children program provides resources to enhance public library outreach visits, reaching those children who cannot get to their local library and increasing the number of families with access to books in their homes throughout the year. If your library’s Día event is implemented as an outreach event, your library may request paperback books in support of your event through our Library Outreach to Children program.

Program Planning Resources for Library Staff

• Texas State Library and Archives Commission – Bilingual Library Programs for Children and Families
• A Kid’s Guide to Latino History: More than 50 Activities, by Valeria Petrillo
• Read Me a Rhyme in Spanish and English, by Rose Zertuche Trevino – a sample lesson
• Amazing Maya Inventions You Can Build Yourself, by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt
• Dia Resource Guide – (full 72-pgs.)
• Dia Mini-Planning Booklet (14-pgs.)
• Dia Family Book Club Toolkit (12-pgs.)
• List of Potential Dia Presenters/Performers in Idaho

Día Related Websites

• National Día website (hosted by ALA and ALSC)
• National Latino Children’s Institute
• www.patmora.com/dia.htm
• Colorin Colorado – provides resources for parents and teachers of English Language Learners.
• Texas State Library’s Dia Celebration – 25th Anniversary information
• REFORMA – the national association to promote library and information services to Latinos and the  Spanish speaking community
•  Reading is Fundamental – Hispanic Book Collection Resource Guide

20 Years of Dia Recommended Books

• Homeschool Spanish Academy Booklist
• 20 Years of Dia Booklist (birth – preK)
• 20 Years of Dia Booklist (K-2nd)
• 20 Years of Dia Booklist (3rd – 5th)
• 20 Years of Dia Booklist (6th – 8th) 

Día Resources

Free Día Program Graphics and Downloads for Día

Día Artwork/Marketing Materials (Idaho-specific and national)

• Dia at Home Resources
• Idaho Dia Artwork – Postcard size
• Idaho Dia Artwork – Poster size (customizable)
• Idaho Dia Artwork – Facebook/Web Banner size
• National Dia Artwork – available on the ALA-Dia website
• Pat Mora’s Dia PSA’s – Watch a Video/Share a Video

Arts & Crafts Program Ideas

• Papel Picado (paper cutting) Banner 
• Homemade Castenets
• La Luminarias
• Pull-Open Pinatas
• Cuna Mola Designs (lesson-plan)
• Amate Paintings
• Cascarones (confetti-filled eggshells)
• Pinterest Board

Foods & Treats to Make

• Puerto Rican Piragua’s
• Central American Sugarcane Treats for Purisima
• Dominican Arroz Con Leche 
• Paletas de Fresa (Strawberry Popsicles)

Games and Activities

• Loteria (Mexican Bingo)
• Jarabe Tapatio (the Mexican Hat Dance) – a sample video with children dancing

Questions? Contact Bilingual/Bicultural Project Coordinator, Ismael Mendoza Medina:

Ismael Mendoza Medina

Project Coordinator Email Ismael / 208-639-4140 Read my Blogs

This program is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Read to Me Programs

• Día de los niños
• Early Learning Spaces From Your Library
• Early Literacy in Action
• Idaho Family Reading Week 2025
• Indigenous Idaho
• Jump Start Kindergarten
• Kindergarten Readiness Grant
• Library Outreach to Children
• My First Books
• Read to Me Resources
• Read to Me Training
• School Library Access Mini-Grants

• Read to Me Rendezvous 2017

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