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Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities for Kids

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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.

Check out more MLK Day content:

 

Have you read?

Book Review: The Festival of Lights

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations. 

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day. 

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.  

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita. 

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live. 

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience. 

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

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