Ways to Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Kids
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the perfect opportunity to dive into the rich culture of these individuals and celebrate their achievements. If you want to celebrate with your kids, but not sure where to start, we teamed up with the Huntsville-Madison County Library to compile a helpful list of books and rounded up some educational videos as well as a couple movies and shows to enjoy together.
Don’t miss our friends at the Huntsville CVB’s list of local places in the Rocket City to celebrate AA and NAPI culture and cuisine with your family!
Books that Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Reading is a great way to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month – after all, it’s stories that make up our culture and history. Here at Rocket City Mom, we’re big fans of using books to tackle racism, talk about bodies with toddlers and preschoolers, and celebrate different holidays. That’s why we teamed up with the library to compile this list of books to make it even easier to celebrate.
Picture Books:Â
- Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
- Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
- I am Golden by Eva Chen
- Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis
- Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho
- Gibberish by Young Ho
- Ten Blocks to the Big Wok by Ying-Hwa Hu
- Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang
- A Different Pond by Bao Phi
Middle Grade Books:
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- Measuring Up by Lily Lamotte
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang
- We Belong by Cookie Hiponia Everman
- A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata
- Under the Broken Sky by Mariko Nagai
- That Thing about Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Young Adult Books:
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
- Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki
- A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee
- Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
- To All the Boys I’ve Ever Loved Before by Jenny Han
- Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
- This Time Will be Different by Misa Sugiura
- Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
Things to Watch During Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
These short videos and movies are another great way to learn more about AAPI and experience the history and stories of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.
Dwayne Johnson Talks About Moana & Culture
Ellison Ozinuka – The First Asian American Astronaut
Movies on Disney PlusÂ
- Lilo & Stitch
- Raya & the Last Dragon
- Turning Red
- Mulan
- Big Hero 6
- Moana
- Bao (Short)
- Families can also enjoy various National Geographic features on the countries/regions that make up Asia & the Pacific Islands.
Get Crafty
After you’ve finished reading and watching some of the Asian American & Pacific Islander stories, the kids will love channeling their creativity. Check out some of these crafts for ideas for every level kid.
- Japanese Carp Kite, Korean Fan, & Polynesian Poi BallsÂ
- Paper Plate Hand Fan, Diwali Elephants, Easy Toilet Paper Roll Tiki Mask, Japanese Carp Kite, Cupcake Liner DumplingÂ
You Might Also Like…
- Find Events for Kids in Huntsville
- Classes & Lessons in The Arts for Kids
- Huntsville Parks & Playgrounds
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