Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month focuses on commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.

Description & History

The observance of Women’s History Month began with the first International Women's Day celebrated in 1911. In 1978, the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women launched “Women’s History Week” encompassing the date of International Women’s Day March 8, to address the lack of women’s history in the K-12 curriculum. The celebration spread and grew in popularity causing President Jimmy Carter to proclaim the first Women’s History Week in 1980. In 1987, the celebration grew to the entire month of March when Congress passed Public Law 101-9. From 1988 to 1994 Congress passed resolutions authorizing the President to proclaim the month of March as Women’s History Month and since 1995 the month has been proclaimed annually.

The theme for Women’s History Month for 2026 is, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.”

Professional Learning Resources

15 Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month

This article from Live Your Dream overviews 15 ways everyone can celebrate Women’s History Month from expanding our own knowledge, hosting local events, supporting women-owned businesses, to showing support on social media.

March is Women’s History Month - Anti-Defamation League

The article provides a list of curriculum resources, including lesson plans on notable women and gender equity, as well as children's literature recommendations and resources for parents and families, to facilitate meaningful discussions and learning.

National Women’s History Alliance - Women’s History Toolkit

This toolkit includes resources for organizing and implementing women’s history month lessons and programs.

Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau - Women’s History Month

Showcases thematic authors/speakers and ways to highlight this year’s theme of Moving Forward Together. Most authors write adult literature so this may serve as inspiration for you as an educator.

Women’s History Month: Booklists and Classroom Resources by ¡Colorîn colorado!

This resource provides comprehensive booklists and educational materials from several different resources celebrating inspiring girls and women, suitable for classroom integration.

Women's History Month

This website from The Library of Congress includes a large collection of resources for teachers from government agencies and organizations including, National Gallery of Art, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others.

Learner Engagement Resources

10 Women’s History Month Activities

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provides 10 different activities that you can use to celebrate Women’s History Month with your students. Each activity has free resources and is perfect for grades K-5.

Smithsonian American Women’s History Musuem

Take a look at a variation of lessons, activities, and educational videos for grades PK-12 to celebrate Women’s History Month from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

Women & the American Story: Video Library

Short animated videos to bring stories of inspirational women to life.

Women’s History Month Resources and Activities for the Classroom

Links and resources to audio and video collections, lesson plans, biographies, posters, and primary sources. Resources are relevant to all grade levels.

Book Lists & Recommendations

Celebrating girls: A booklist for Women’s History Month by Reading Partners

This list focuses on stories that celebrate girls taking risks, leading, and overcoming obstacles to inspire the next generation of female leaders.

Children's Books Celebrating Fearless Women by NYPL

Geared for elementary students, this selection of picture books focuses on historic women with ties to classroom subjects. This collection will inspire readers to advocate for themselves, follow their dreams, and stand up for women’s rights while tying in

Promotional Resources

The 2026 Theme is “Give to Gain”

Ideas:

Highlight notable women who have impacted libraries throughout history.
Highlight women’s history month-themed books written by women.
International Women’s Day - March 8th, 2026 - social media posts on this day!

Hashtags:

#WomensHistoryMonth
#WomensHistoryMonth2026
#womeninhistory
#internationalwomensday
#herstory