Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities for Kids

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States, which may mean kids are home from school (my daughter’s school is in session; they call it a “day on” instead of a day off and do service projects in the community that days). Whether you’re talking about King’s story and legacy in the classroom or at home, there are lots of different activities and resources available.

If you have a kid who is practicing cursive, these Martin Luther King Jr. cursive quote sheets from 3 Boys and a Dog are a great way for kids to reflect and learn. They also have handwriting practice sheets for younger kids or those not learning cursive yet.

This printable pack from Meet Penny also includes some writing practice with quotes, as well as other worksheets where students can share what they have learned from books and other resources.

Dare to dream your own dreams and write about them with this printable activity from Thirty Handmade Days. Or follow in King’s footsteps and have kids reflect on what they could do to change the world with this activity from Teach Them to Fly.

Pencils to Pigtails has a lot of good information about talking about King with younger kids, as well as a resource pack you can get from Teachers Pay Teachers that includes these fingerprint art activities.

Doodle Art Alley has some cute coloring pages, most of which are quotes you can color and talk about with your kids.

Watch this video to get a little virtual tour of the National Civil Rights Museum, which is located at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where King was killed. Learn more about the museum at its website. There’s lots of great information and activity ideas for educators there as well.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Coloring Pages

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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