Activities for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

King Day is typically a time of service and reflection on what each of us can do to help make our communities better places, as well as discussions of racial equity and how our nation still falls short of King’s dream.

This year the day looks different since many of us aren’t venturing outside the home or school to do service projects, but that doesn’t mean it’s a day like any other.

We should definitely be talking with our kids about King’s legacy, especially, for kids who are old enough, in the context of the past year’s protests calling for justice. Listening to and reading King’s speeches is also great.

This activity from Scholastic is an easy way for kids of all ages to express their own dreams.

Kids in early elementary will enjoy this printable coloring book from Real Life at Home (she also has a book for older kids).

Or check out the collection of picture books, activities and videos that Becky from Kid World Citizen compiled for All Done Monkey.

I’d love to hear what you are doing to mark the occasion with your kiddos.

[Photo: Real Life at Home.]

Check out some of our favorite educational reading books about Martin Luther King

If You Were a Kid During the Civil Rights Movement

The Story of Ruby Bridges

Real Stories – The March On Washington

10 True Tales: Young Civil Rights Heroes

And if you are looking for more printable lesson plans then check these out on Etsy

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities for Kids

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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