Ways you can Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day With Kids

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is approaching and presents a great teaching opportunity. Instead of just another day off from school that quickly gets consumed by electronics and TV, consider some of the activities below to make the day memorable for you and your kids.

 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired millions of people to serve and give back to their communities.

 

 

Encourage your kids to volunteer and do something in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and then share their service, project or efforts on Kudos in the Acts of Kindness Group.

 

Share the History of MLK:

  • Look through history.com’s MLK video page, and choose one of the many short videos to see Dr. King’s historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama or hear former President Clinton share his thoughts about Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Volunteer in Your Community

  • Organizations from around the country continue to post service opportunities for you to find and join. A number of these activities can be found at: AllforGood.org.

 

 

Create a Teaching Moment

  • Explore Lesson plans based on age to help kids understand Dr. King’s vision with free and easy to use resources created by the Corporation for National and Community Service and Scholastic: http://www.scholastic.com/mlkday/.

 

Share and Discuss MLK’s Values

  • Share quotes and facts about Dr. King as well as the important values he emphasized and simple ways kids can help keep his dreams and wisdom alive: https://www.familyeducation.com/fun/8-mlk-jr-values-instill-your-kids

 

Create an I have a Dream Speech

  • Act out his famous "I have a dream" speech while implementing your own words and hopes for the future. Ask your kids what it means to have a dream and how they can achieve theirs.

 

Create a Sign


Try a simple craft, like making a peace sign or peace dove to hang up in the window (that also happens to be toddler-friendly).

Kudos