Teaching About Las Posadas: ESL Classroom Ideas to Celebrate

 

December is full of rich traditions around the world, and one that beautifully blends faith, culture, and community is Las Posadas. Celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries, Las Posadas offers ESL teachers a meaningful way to explore language through culture — while inviting students to reflect on hospitality, kindness, and belonging.

Whether you’re teaching a cultural unit in December or looking for ways to build empathy and inclusion in your ESL classroom, Las Posadas provides endless opportunities for storytelling, vocabulary growth, and creative projects that connect the heart and mind.



Understanding Las Posadas

Las Posadas (Spanish for “the inns”) is a traditional Mexican celebration held from December 16th to December 24th. It reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey as they searched for shelter in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.

Each night, families and communities hold processions where participants go from house to house, singing carols that represent the story of Mary and Joseph seeking lodging. Finally, one home opens its doors — symbolizing hospitality and welcome — and the evening ends with music, food, and a piñata for the children.

For your students, this celebration opens a door to understanding faith-based traditions, Latin American culture, and the universal value of kindness and inclusion.



Why Bring Las Posadas Into Your ESL Classroom?

Teaching Las Posadas helps your students:

Expand their cultural awareness and global understanding

Learn new holiday vocabulary in context

Practice reading, writing, and speaking through meaningful content

Reflect on values like hospitality and generosity

Plus, it’s a wonderful way to include your Spanish-speaking students, allowing them to share what they know and feel proud of their cultural heritage — turning your classroom into a space of shared learning.



Reading and Comprehension

Choose a short, age-appropriate text or story that describes Las Posadas. For example:

A brief reading about Mary and Joseph’s journey

A cultural article explaining how families celebrate in Mexico

A simple story from a child’s perspective about participating in Las Posadas

After reading, ask comprehension or discussion questions:

What happens during Las Posadas?

How do people show hospitality in this tradition?

Why is community important in this celebration?

These questions encourage critical thinking while practicing language comprehension.



Writing Tasks

Invite students to write about kindness and community inspired by Las Posadas. Some ideas:

A short story about helping someone in need

An essay or paragraph about the importance of welcoming others

A reflection on how they can show hospitality at home or school

For younger learners, provide sentence starters such as:

“Hospitality means…”
“I can show kindness by…”
“In my family, we celebrate by…”

Writing about values rather than just facts makes language learning more personal and meaningful.



Hands-On and Creative Classroom Activities

Here’s where the magic happens — simple, joyful activities that bring Las Posadas to life while strengthening English skills and classroom community.

Nativity or Piñata Craft

Encourage students to create a nativity scene craft or decorate a simple paper piñata.
You can:

Use recycled materials to build miniature nativity figures

Create colorful tissue-paper stars representing hope and joy

Write short English descriptions to label each part (e.g., Mary, Joseph, star, donkey)

Art-based activities are excellent for multi-sensory learning and help ESL students connect vocabulary to visuals and actions.

Acts of Kindness Campaign

Inspired by the spirit of Las Posadas, organize a classroom kindness challenge.

Students can:

Write welcome cards for new students or staff

Create “Kindness Coupons” for friends (e.g., “I’ll help you with your homework” or “Let’s play together”)

Donate gently used books, toys, or clothes to a local charity

This reinforces the core theme of hospitality while nurturing a classroom culture of empathy and inclusion.

Teaching Las Posadas in your ESL classroom isn’t just a lesson about a cultural tradition — it’s an invitation to celebrate togetherness, empathy, and gratitude.

Through songs, crafts, stories, and reflection, students not only strengthen their English skills, but also learn what it means to open their hearts to others. And that’s a message worth sharing — not just at Christmas, but all year long.

As you plan your December lessons, let Las Posadas remind you and your students that learning language and learning love can go hand in hand.