How to Celebrate Independence Day | Ideas for Kids

Despite growing up in the Philippines, I can’t recall having big celebrations for Independence Day except rejoicing in the fact that I got to skip a day of school. It’s quite unlike here in Australia where families seem to have planned for Australia Day in advance, whether that’s attending a big backyard barbeque or having a modest picnic at the park -- rice cooker in tow, of course!

In the spirit of making Independence Day feel more festive, here are 5 ideas on how you can celebrate Independence Day with your kids:

1. Watch a Filipino movie

2. Plat outdoor Filipino games

3. Share a Filipino meal

4. Dress up in National costume

5. Read Filipino books

Netflix has an impressive list of Filipino movies these days! While you might want to leave Heneral Luna and Goyo the grownups, there are a handful of movies in there that are sure to entertain the whole family, while teaching your kiddos about the nuances of the Filipino culture.

A tradition that started for our family here in Australia is to play Filipino games during New Year, so why not do the same for Independence Day? Our family favourites include patintero, and 1020 or Chinese garter -- a great way to keep kids active and off the screen!

Nothing to get in the spirit of Philippine Independence than with a hearty Filipino meal, so whip up your favourites to share with the family. Even better if the kids help with preparation -- extra hands are always needed to wrap the lumpia and roll the pastillas.

While the barong Tagalog and the Maria Clara are popular, our traditional costumes are some of the most popular. However, our repertoire is certainly not limited to just that -- do some exploring and learn something new about our Filipino history.

Reading Filipino books is a great way to introduce kids about our history and teach them the language.