Kids

How Families Can Celebrate Buwan ng Wika 2023

by Kevyn Gohu
August 1, 2023

Buwan ng Wika 2023 is here and here are family-friendly activities you can do to celebrate!

Schools often celebrate Buwan ng Wika to remind kids of their roots. They have them dressing in Filipiniana outfits and bringing in bilaos of kakanin or our favorite noodle dishes like pancit Malabon or Palabok. And while schools have a grand fiesta, we can also celebrate Buwan ng Wika as a family at home this 2023.

1. The Straight Tagalog Game

Take a page from the sitcom Fresh Off The Boat but instead of Mandarin or Chinese, speak Filipino instead! Choose a day when the family needs to speak Tagalog or their native language (i.e. Cebuano, Ilocano, etc.) for the next 24 hours and anyone who speaks English gets penalized. It’s a fun way to encourage kids to practice Tagalog at home because you can also add some prizes at the end of the day.

2. Watch Tagalog movies

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral and Heneral Luna raised the standard of Filipino cinema with its cinematography and content, showcasing parts of history that are not normally taught in class. Because it’s from the war-movie genre, it uses a deeper level of Tagalog that encourages us and our kids to think about the current state of the Philippines for this Buwan ng Wika.

3. Dive into Philippine mythology

We often learn Greek mythology in school but the Philippines also has a rich mythology because of its multiple regions. Our culture passed information through legends and fables, most of them being written in Tagalog. As an activity, maybe challenge the kids to write their own legend to share with the family. Or, maybe even read some short stories about the Philippine pre-colonial gods.

4. Learn a folk dance

Although Tinikling is considered the national dance of the Philippines, being an archipelago means there are a lot more folk dances. Especially among the different tribes, learning a variety of folk dances is a way to preserve a family’s identity in today’s time. Many tribes including the T’boli tribe from South Cotabato still practice this, teaching kids as young as three years old the basic steps.

5. Try different Filipino dishes in their most authentic form

Filipino cuisine has undergone so many interpretations that it’s difficult to figure out what’s authentic and what’s not. And while Filipino prides itself in lutong-bahay (homecooking), there are many other dishes that capture the Philippine identity. The Philippines, as a melting pot, offers so many delectable and novel dishes that have graced Filipino families’ tables for generations such as Tiyula Itum (Tausug-style Bulalo), Zubuchon, Sisig Babi, etc.

Buwan ng Wika is a celebration of culture and stories!

While celebrating Buwan ng Wika with rice-based snacks is the norm, we have other opportunities to explore Philippine culture. Many coffee connoisseurs find excitement in trying different coffee beans from various provinces. Others discover the uncommon seafood dishes made from the Philippines’ native fish species. By exploring culture, we also deeply understand the language. Language is a tool we created out of necessity; so that the next generations would not forget their roots.