el Día del Amor y de la Amistad

¡Feliz Día de San Valentín! Happy Valentine’s Day! 

In the USA, we might celebrate St Valentine’s Day by sending cards, giving candy, flowers or chocolate, or having a special meal. Many Latin American countries refer to February 14th as el Día del Amor y de la Amistad (love and friendship day).

Love and friendship are celebrated in many similar ways around the Spanish speaking world, but of course there are some unique variations as to when and how this is done.

 Did you know? ¿Sabías qué…?... 

• I love you can be expressed in Spanish by both te amo [teh AH-moh] and te quiero [teh key-AIR-oh]

• In Barcelona, Spain, books and flowers are exchanged on April 2nd: el Día de San Jordi

• In some South American countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Uruguay, el Día del Amor y de la Amistad is celebrated in September or October

• In Colombia, a gifting game called “amigo secreto” (secret friend) is traditionally played during the month of September in honor of this – it’s a little like ‘Secret Santa’! 

Actividades en casa/Home activities

 1. Cantar ‘te amo’ // Sing ‘I love you’ using the Okee Dokee Brother’s song, Te amo (lyrics below)

Te amo, (*mamá, papá, abuelo, abuela, hermano, hermana, amigo/a etc…)

Te amo, Te amo (*mamá, papá, abuelo, abuela, hermano, hermana, amigo/a etc…)

En mi familia hay mucho amor

Te amo, te amo (*mamá, papá, abuelo, abuela, hermano, hermana, amigo/a etc…)

I love you (*mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, brother, sister, friend etc…)

I love you, I love you (*mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, brother, sister, friend etc…)

In my family there is a lot of love

I love you, I love you (*mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, brother, sister, friend etc…)

 *insert name or family member

 2. Dar una tarjeta // Give a card using these free printable templates, from Spanish Mama

 3. Colorear // Color (online with a device here; printable here)

 4. Escuchar música // Listen to music - kid friendly songs that celebrate love and friendship. How many times can you hear the words ‘te amo’ or ‘te quiero’?

 ¡Disfruta del día! Enjoy the day!