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

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Summer Reading Printables and Tips for Parents

As I write this, back to school time is right around the corner, and if you have kids going to school for the first time or who might need a refresher on what school is like, books can be a big help in calming fears and letting them know what to expect.

School Days by Fabiola Sepulvelda is a wordless picture book full of photographs of various things that happen during the school day, such as leaving home, getting off the bus, greeting your teacher, raising your hand to talk, circle time, reading, quiet work, lunch, recess, art and music, and greeting your parent at the end of the day.

This is a nice book to prompt conversations about the way things might look and things that might happen at school, and could also be used in the classroom to talk about routines and what happens each day. It’s meant to be for kids who don’t yet know how to read, but could be used with older kids as well.

Ready for School by Dona Herweck Rice and illustrated by Amanda Morrow follows a little girl through a day getting ready for school and thinking about all the things that happen at school. It covers things like calendar time, mat time, being read to, math (they’re learning to count to five), recess and art. She’s so excited to go she wakes her mom up and it’s still nighttime.

This one is good for kids who like reminders of how the routine goes (both getting ready for school and being there) and those who might be apprehensive about what’s going to happen or if it will be fun.

The same author has a series of books that are meant to be for ESL learners but would work for others as well. Welcome to School has photos and single words or short phrases for things you do to get ready for school, different ways you might travel there, greetings, morning meeting activities. people you might see at school (like teacher, student, custodian), places and objects you’ll find around school, things at recess and school rules (like line up and raise hand).

Your School Day uses longer phrases (“riding in car” instead of just “car,” for example) and older children in the photos. The routine is also for older kids and uses bigger words like announcements and equipment. It also shows photos of different subjects kids might study, different kinds of learning groups and more people and places you’ll find in school.

A Day at School is kind of in between these two, with older elementary students going through many of the same things. This one doesn’t mention morning meetings but also doesn’t use the level of vocabulary of the book for older kids. Either this one of Welcome to School would be fine to use with young kids who already speak English but might like to see all the things and people they’ll see at school.

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