This is one of my favorite stories, not because I wrote it, but because it brings back so many fond memories of growing up in a neighborhood in the south of Cali, Colombia. As I wrote Corre, Año Viejo, Corre, I could clearly picture all the children in my neighborhood gathering around the Año Viejo. I wanted to capture that rich cultural tradition in a short story, but with a touch of humor to make it fun for elementary students and something teachers can easily share in their world language classrooms.
The Año Viejo is a New Year’s Eve tradition celebrated in Colombia and other Latin American countries. This custom involves burning a life-sized doll, traditionally filled with fireworks, gunpowder, or straw. The Año Viejo symbolizes the end of a cycle, leaving behind the negative and setting new goals, almost like pressing a reset button. It can also be a way to express political opinions, depending on who the doll represents. There are also smaller versions of the “Año Viejo.” Burning the doll is a family tradition and a community event shared among neighbors, streets, or neighborhoods. Regardless of the doll’s size, this celebration is always accompanied by the song ¡El Año Nuevo!, blending joy with nostalgia. But most importantly, it symbolizes a new beginning.
The Story in the Book
As the year comes to a close, a grandmother decides to make an Año Viejo doll to say goodbye to the old year. She carefully crafts each detail, but suddenly, the doll comes to life and starts running! What will happen to Año Viejo? Can he escape?
Corre, Año Viejo, Corre isn’t just a playful story—it’s also a great way to teach kids about New Year’s celebrations in Latin America. Students will learn about the tradition of creating an Año Viejo figure, which symbolizes letting go of the past year. It’s a fun way to teach cultural traditions in Spanish class!
Where to Find Corre, Año Viejo, Corre
You can find Corre, Año Viejo, Corre on Amazon, CPLI Books, or in my online store as part of a special bundle. This bundle includes the story and an Año Viejo character, giving you everything you need to bring this engaging cultural tradition into your world language classroom. It combines a captivating story with hands-on activities and language practice, making it the perfect addition to your teaching resources.
What’s Included in the Corre, Año Viejo, Corre Bundle:
Reading Comprehension Activities: Check for understanding with fun questions and activities that help build reading skills.
Crafts and Extension Activities: Students can create their own Año Viejo puppets, write goodbye notes to the past year, and even design their own versions of the character.
Language Learning: Reinforce vocabulary with simple Spanish phrases related to New Year’s celebrations and cultural traditions.
This bundle is an excellent tool for teachers who want to make learning Spanish fun and meaningful, while also introducing important cultural lessons. Perfect for elementary school world language teachers looking for engaging, culturally rich content!
This is one of the most relaxing activities I have used with my fifth graders. We are close to the break so they really enjoyed learning about Año Viejos. I gave them a little introduction about this tradition and its meaning (see post from previous years). We also watch a video of a girl making an Año Viejo in Colombia, and this leads to a small discussion about the materials needed to make an Año Viejo. Although the girl in the video doesn’t use firecrackers, most people put them in their Años Viejos.
We watched a video of the actual tradition. In the video we saw the excitement on the streets of people counting down. And we could hear the fire crackers and the sounds of a radio station playing the national anthem, a song which is always played on December 31st at midnight:.
After reading the story each student decorated a paper Año Viejo, which you can also find in my store. I also gave each student a small magnet to stick it on the back of the Año Viejo.They placed their Años Viejos on the magnetic board I have in my classroom while I played a video of a Christmas fireplace I found on YouTube.
I also played the traditional Año Viejo song while the students where coloring their Años Viejos.
Last but not least, I placed the Año Viejos on one of the bulletin boards in my room. I used as a title for the bulletin board the name of the song “Yo no olvido el Año Viejo”. Click HERE to download the letters.
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December 31st is an exciting day in Colombia and many other Spanish speaking countries. Everyone is focused on family and fiesta, and the resolutions and wishes for the New Year come to mind.
Those five minutes before the year ends are especially important. Yellow underwear for good luck, suitcases filled to go around the block, a dollar bill in your pocket, and many other exciting and fun things for a New Year.
My favorite tradition is “las Doce Uvas”. The tradition of eating twelve grapes that represent wishes for the New Year. Every grape is eaten when the bell of the end of the year strikes. It strikes 12 times before the New Year starts.
This is a fun tradition to share with your students. Depending on the level you teach have your students make pictures or write about their wishes on every grape (see freebie below). You can also create bunches of grapes (see freebie below) in class and have your students work on just one wish.
Here are some examples of wishes you can teach your students: 1. Yo deseo más recreo. 2. Yo deseo paz. 3. Yo deseo amor. 4. Yo deseo jugar. 5. Yo deseo ver películas en clase. 6. Yo deseo tomar una siesta. 7. Yo deseo comer dulces. 9. Yo deseo tener más amigos. 10. Yo deseo bailar. 11. Yo deseo aprender más español. 12. Yo deseo una fiesta.
