Have you considered which Martin Luther King Jr. activities you’ll do with your class this year? The first federal holiday of the year — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — comes quickly after winter break! So, how do you choose the best activities to teach about one of the most important figures of the civil rights movement? What are the best ways to bring Dr. King’s teachings and legacy into your elementary or middle school classroom?
We know there is a lot you can teach about Dr. King, so the teachers on the Teach Starter team have put together some of our best tips to make teaching about MLK more meaningful in 2024. Continue reading for MLK classroom activities, books to read, points to consider and much more.
Why Should Kids Learn About Martin Luther King Jr.?
Teaching about Dr. King may be something you automatically add to your lessons on an annual basis (after all, teaching about MLK is in the state standards in 37 states, according to Education Week), but have you thought about why it’s so important to teach about this American hero?
King strongly believed that education and social justice go hand-in-hand. As teachers, we strive to create classes full of critical thinkers and empathetic students who will grow up to be our future leaders. The fact is, Dr. King symbolizes an umbrella of crucial topics in the classroom and in life, including:
- Diversity
- Equality
- Tolerance
- Pacifism
- Non-violent action
- Kindness
- Critical thinking
The above themes can be applied to many lessons throughout the year and create excellent discussions for your Morning Meetings, book reports, reflection worksheets and much more.
King’s teachings and vision for a better world are just the tip of the iceberg regarding lessons regarding the civil rights movement. With that said, January should not be the exclusive month to dive into the civil rights movement or Dr. King’s influence!
What Did Martin Luther King Jr. Do?
As we all know, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was perhaps the nation’s most influential civil rights leader who passionately altered our collective view of race and equality. He tirelessly reminded us that we are all equal regardless of our skin color, beliefs, and backgrounds through peaceful protests, boycotts, marches and unforgettable speeches.
Summing up all that this American hero accomplished in his short life isn’t easy, so here are a few ideas to help you explain what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did with your students.
- For lower elementary teachers — This Dr. King video from Sesame Street can provide your class with an introduction to Dr. King.
- For upper elementary or middle school teachers — Take a peek at this five-minute Dr. King description from Biography.
Here are just a few highlights of Martin Luther King Jr.’s accomplishments before his untimely death in 1968 that you can also share with your students:
- Graduated from Booker T. Washington High School at age 15
- Formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation
- Led a Freedom Walk in 1963 with 125,000 people
- Sent to jail numerous times for peaceful protesting, sit-ins, and boycotts
- Delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech in Washington D.C.
- Received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964
How to Teach About Martin Luther King Jr.
If you’re a teacher looking to give your MLK Day lessons a fresh perspective or want to expand on Dr. King and dive deeper into the civil rights movement, how do you get started?
Depending on your students’ age group, consider introducing the Letters From a Birmingham Jail. Want to go a step further with the famous I Have a Dream speech? Explore anaphora in poetry through King’s speeches, or use this PBS video of 5th graders reflecting on his speech at the Lincoln Memorial to spark some conversation among your young learners.
The goal is to make sure your lesson plans include meaningful and engaging activities to remind students that MLK Day is not to be brushed aside simply because it’s a free day off from school. The teacher team at Teach Starter worked hard to ensure you have meaningful activities and lessons for Martin Luther King Day.
Short on time? Jump directly to our MLK Day teacher resource collection, or keep reading for ideas for your classroom. We’ve even broken things down between lower elementary and upper elementary/middle school!
Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for Younger Kids
Are you teaching lower elementary students about Dr. King? Make your MLK lessons more meaningful with some of our teacher team’s favorite thought-provoking activities to supplement your lessons:
Create an I Have a Dream Wall
For a unique bulletin board activity, give each of your students a few sticky notes and have them write a dream they have for your school, your community and the world. Have them stick it to the bulletin board when they’ve finished writing their dreams.
You can even create a shape for all the sticky notes to go into — maybe a peace sign?
Assemble an I Have a Dream Mobile
Similar to the I Have a Dream wall, use our free printable template so your students can create an “I Have a Dream” mobile to hang in the classroom or at home. The prompts on each cloud are “My dream for myself, my school, my community and my world.”
Explore Diversity With Eggs
For this class activity, you’ll need one brown egg, one white egg and a paper dish or bowl. With the entire class circled around you, crack each egg into the bowl, ensuring the students pay attention to the yolk that comes out. Are we truly different from one another? This is a good visual demonstration of how we may look different on the outside but are the same on the inside.
In the words of Dr. King, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Volunteer as a Class
Part of Dr. King’s teachings includes being kind to others and making a difference, even in the smallest of ways. Is there something your class can do to improve the school they learn in? Ask your admin if there are some school maintenance projects your students can get involved in. Is there a wall that could use a new coat of paint? Are there books in the library that could be reorganized? Are there chairs that could be restacked after an assembly? There’s bound to be a child-appropriate volunteer activity your school will welcome!
Explain to your students that MLK Day is not just a federal holiday that’s set aside to celebrate the civil rights hero’s birthday. It’s also designated as a National Day of Service.
Make a Mini Book
Preschool and kindergarten students can then make their own mini book about MLK, tracing his name, coloring his photo and showing their understanding of your lesson by coloring in the images of what Dr. King stood for while also practicing core skills.
Watch MLK Videos for Kids
Have your students learn about Dr. King through the perspective of another child, like Kid President. In under four minutes this cool kid’s video about Martin Luther King shares a brief history of his life and encourages viewers to change things that seem unfair or unequal.
Another video from PBS gives a brief explanation of Dr. King’s work and informs students about the actual holiday of MLK Day and how people use the day to volunteer and make a difference in their communities.
Explore MLK’s Legacy With a Cut and Color
Another MLK Day activity perfect for the pre-school and kindergarten set is a cut and color activity about the civil rights leader. Students complete the outline of Dr. King by drawing what they think he looks like, then cut out items and pasting them to show what he fought for.
MLK Day Activities for Older Students
As Coretta Scott King tells us, honoring MLK Day in the classroom isn’t just a way to introduce younger kids to the civil rights leader and his legacy, it’s also a good way to impress the concept of service on our students and talk about their role in their communities and in making change. Here are some MLK Day activities perfect for upper elementary or middle school classes.
Take a Virtual Field Trip to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis
The Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee was built right around the Lorraine Motel, the site where Dr. King was assassinated. Today, the museum tells the stories of the fighters of the civil rights movement, including Dr. King. Not in Memphis? The museum offers virtual tours perfect for teachers and their students, and you can take them as a whole class or team up with other teachers for a whole school experience.
Design a Kindness Quilt
There is never a kind act that is too small. Promoting kind thoughts and actions ultimately leads to peace, which is what MLK strived to instill in others. Help your students promote kindness and think of ways they can be kind in their own way with our downloadable Kindness Quilt bulletin board set. Each student will fill out their own square with the prompt “I can be kind by…” and color the shapes.
This can make a great classroom display or get other classes involved to create huge hallway kindness quilt that everyone in the school can admire as they walk by.
(Virtually) Visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta
Another virtual field trip worth taking with your class is an adventure to Atlanta’s National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the home of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. Opened in 2014 in Dr. King’s hometown, the museum features many of his papers and artifacts, including more than 1,000 of his own books — many of which have notes in the margin written by the activist preacher himself!
Complete Acts of Service
Acts of service are a core of MLK education, so why not provide your students with an Acts of Service challenge sheet filled with items that are kid-friendly but make an impact? The sheet has 36 different service acts plus space for kids to write in the date they completed them. Challenge your students to do as many as they can by the end of January.
You may also want to visit DoSomething.org for students to find inspiration for their own acts of service. Programs on the site are all youth-led, and kids can even earn scholarships for participating!
Visualize Their Dream Future With an Art Activity
Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech is one of his most famous, and it opens the door for kids to think about their own communities and the changes they would like to see. You can start with a writing prompt or allow them to get creative with a drawing. (Get the printable I See My Dream Future template here).
Martin Luther King Books for Kids
My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King III
Written by Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III, this children’s book tells the story of a father’s love for his son. It’s a beautiful reminder that Dr. King was more than just a hero to millions around the world. He was a special man much loved by his own family.
Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? by Bonnie Bader
Part of the Who Was? series, Who Was Martin Luther King Jr. is a great introductory book to read to your class during morning meeting sessions or before your MLK activities. This book is great for students ages 7-10.
I Am Martin Luther King Jr. by Brad Meltzer
Part of the Ordinary People Change the World series, this biography of Dr. King is appropriate for kids ages 5-7. With a timeline of key events, real photos and facts, this book introduces students to the way MLK felt as a young, unfairly treated African American and his inspiration to make a peaceful change when he grew up.
I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Once you’ve taught your students about Dr. King’s life and peaceful work, read his famous “I Have a Dream” speech with this beautifully illustrated book. It also comes with a CD so you can play the speech for the class!
Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
A teacher favorite and Caldecott Honor recipient, Martin’s Big Words uses quotes from MLK’s most famous speeches to detail his upbringing and life’s work in a simple yet effective way for kids to comprehend. The book is filled with collage-style artwork as well, making this a great choice to read aloud and discuss with bolded quotes.
MLK Education — A Final Word
The fact that MLK Day is honored in January makes it a great time to review your own classroom and think about the months ahead. Do you have inclusive books and materials in your classroom, ensuring children of color feel represented all year round, not just on MLK Day? Do you talk about Dr. King’s legacy at other times of the year?
We know you’ve got a lot on your plate, so we pulled together some resources that can help you help your kids!
- Read Liz Kleinrock’s Start Here, Start Now — Kleinrock is the teacher behind the popular @teachandtransform Instagram account where she talks about simple shifts teachers can make in the classroom to be more inclusive.
- Zinn Education Project — Built to introduce students to a “more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula,” this non-profit offers trainings for teachers plus has a host of free resources to make classes more inclusive.
- Being Black at School — Find out how to create a chapter of Being Black at School in your school and request an equity toolkit.
- Facing History — Looking for PD that will actually recharge you as a teacher and make a difference? Find out how to bring Facing History to your school for PD that’s focused on creating a school community that takes issues of ethics, social responsibility, prejudice, and justice seriously.
Comments