Black History Month Activities for Kids

February is known as Black History Month in the United States and beyond, and while of course Black people should be learned about and honored in our curriculum throughout the year, it gives us an opportunity to be more conscious about presenting Black stories (and hopefully some stories beyond the few people whose stories are always told) in the classroom.

For the youngest kids, reading books and doing crafts around figures in Black history are great places to start. The book ABC Black History and Me by Queenbe Monyei, for example, is an adorable little board book that presents the alphabet with words and famous figures from Black history (B is for brave and features Rosa Parks, Y is for youth and has a drawing of several young people, including Amanda Gorman, for example). The book includes a timeline at the back that names all the people and events shown in the book if you want to learn more.

No Time for Flashcards has a great art project for little kids inspired by Alma Thomas, a Black artist who used vibrant colors to represent the world around her. Older kids can learn about the work of folk artist William H. Johnson and make their own art like his. Check out the post at Art Projects for Kids to learn more. (There are also coloring pages and a printable tutorial here that would work for younger kids too.)

Speaking of coloring pages, these pages with quotes from Mrs. Merry can get kids talking about and thinking about these historical figures and why they are important to all Americans. There are many more Black History Month coloring pages at Coloring Only.

Of course older kids can research and learn about different figures from Black history. You can start with the people mentioned on this free printable Black History Month poster from Adventure in a Box (or this paid set of posters from Teacher Jeanell) or have kids find their own figures to study.

While it’s great to learn about Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, George Washington Carver and the like, it’s also great to delve into some of the lesser-known figures of Black history. How about Carter G. Woodson, the scholar whose dedication to Black history eventually led to the establishment of Black History Month? Or Garret Morgan, an inventor whose innovations led to the modern traffic light?

Black History Bingo Cards

Black History Month Puzzle Pieces

Book Review: African Icons

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities for Kids

Next Plan Idea:

Free Black History Month Coloring Sheets and…

My daughter is 16 and one of her favorite things to do on school breaks is watch The Great British Bake Off. It’s such a soothing show, as well as being creative and fun, and it’s low stakes enough that it isn’t stressful, which is just the thing you need when you’re on a break from school.

If you don’t have an oven or want to do your own real Bake Off challenges, this baking show inspired drawing challenge from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls is a great alternative. This works best if you have a group of kids to play, but you could also do it along with a child at home.

The post includes a bunch of different “baking” challenges for kids to draw. As an example: “Draw a dozen delicious doughnuts! Be sure to include at least two different flavors of icing. Challenge yourself to think of as many creative toppings as you can.”

Give them a set amount of time (maybe 10-15 minutes) to draw their creations based on the prompt. Then have each child present their creation, explaining what they chose to draw and why (and what the different flavors are if it’s not obvious).

There doesn’t have to be a winner, but kids can vote on their favorites or you can “award” things like most colorful, tallest creation, etc. Sarah suggests if doing this with little kids you can come up with an award for everyone, but there need not be prizes involved.

With older kids you might do a couple of rounds and pick winners so that you can have a “star baker” just like in the show.

This is a game that would be a lot of fun for kids of different ages, and you can do it multiple times with the different prompts.

Get all the details and the challenge cards from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls.

[Photo: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls]

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply