I love teaching young students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream of peace and equality.
We start by reading a simple book that explains Dr. King and his dreams in a way that my young students can understand. It is entitled, My First Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr.
We Have a Dream Bulletin Board & Writing Activity
After discussing that Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream from a young age that all people would get along and have the same opportunities regardless of their skin color, I ask students to think about their dreams for the future.
Students write their dreams on a cloud template and I take their pictures and put them in cute frames. It creates such an inspirational display!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Egg Activity
I found this activity on Pinterest and it has become a favorite of myself and students. It fits well with the book mentioned above and it is a wonderful visual for young children that shows we all look different on the outside, but are the same on the inside. It helps convey that everyone should be treated equally.
It is very simple to set up. All you need are brown and white eggs and plates or bowls in which to crack open the eggs. I also use a printable page, that you can receive for free if you sign up for my newsletter here.
Show students the white egg and the brown egg.
Discuss what they look like on the outside. I have students color the eggs on their pages and then write that on the outside the eggs look different (they are different colors). Writing and drawing their observations helps them to learn, remember, and recall the information.
Ask students what they think each egg looks like on the inside. A large number of my students usually think the inside of the brown egg will be brown. Some say they will be the same, and a couple have said they think a chicken will be in the brown one LOL!
Crack open the eggs one at a time and let students observe the insides. Lead them to discover that they are the same or similar. I have my students draw the insides of each on their pages and then write that the insides of the eggs look the same.
Discuss with students how the eggs are like people and relate what they learned to the beliefs of Martin Luther King, Jr. I have my students write what they learned. If you would like to use the printable page with your students, it was free in my newsletter. Sign-up here.
Sometimes it can be hard to find books about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. that are appropriate for young students, especially preschoolers. But, this Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr? board book by Lisbeth Kaiser does a wonderful job of telling about his life and work with simple text & illustrations perfect for the youngest of students.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Sequencing Activity
After reading the book, I like to do this activity with students to help review the sequence of events in his life. Students cut out the pictures and place them in order on a mat (sheet of paper with numbered blocks).
With My Own 2 Hands Activity
After learning and discussing that Martin Luther King, Jr. spent most of his life trying to change things in our world that he felt were unfair, I teach the students the song “With My Own Two Hands” by Jack Johnson.
We talk about how all of us can do things to make the world a better place.
Students write and draw about something they can do to make the world a better place for other people. Then, they trace their hands and put them on the earth. They turn out so cute!
Another book that I like to read to my students is Martin’s Big Words (Big Words): The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It explains Martin Luther King’s dream in a little more detail than the book above, but still in a way that young children can understand. I also like that it includes some of his actual quotes.
The Time is Always Right Activity
Since the book mentioned above contains quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., I like to do this activity that helps remind students to always do the right thing.
Students write and draw about a time when they did the right thing. The clock reminds them of the quote – “The time is always right to do what’s right”.
Love Comes in Different Colors Fingerprint Art
After discussing the Martin’s Big Words book, one of my favorite activities to do is to have the class collaboratively create a beautiful fingerprint art heart entitled “Love Comes in Different Colors”.
Each child uses a different color of paint for their fingerprints. First, they put their fingerprint in one of the boxes along the bottom that has their name in it. Then, they put several fingerprints in the heart (spread out).
The number of fingerprints that each student needs to make varies depending on the number of students in the class. It has ranged from 5-10 for me over the years.
Isn’t it beautiful? I just love how it turns out! The printable pattern for this activity was also included in my free newsletter. You can sign-up here.
We Can Walk in His Footsteps Display
After discussing the changes Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted for the world and how he worked to get those changes peacefully, I ask students:
•What is something you have done or can do that would make Martin Luther King, Jr. happy?
•What is something you can do to make the world a better place?
I then trace one of their shoes onto construction paper and have them write and/or draw something they can do to make the world a better place.
I display them like a walking path in the hallway with the title “We are Walking in His Footsteps” and an inspirational poster with his quote “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”.
This is a book I found recently that fits perfectly with our Martin Luther King, Jr. discussions. It is called The Peace Book by Todd Parr. It explains peace and peaceful behaviors in a very child-friendly way.
After reading the book we create an anchor chart that shows the difference between peaceful behaviors and behaviors that are not peaceful. It is a good classroom tool that can serve as a visual reminder to students and also help them self-monitor their behavior.
Then I give students a cut and paste sorting page to check their understanding.
Give Peace a Chance Bulletin Board, Dove Craft & Writing Activity
After learning about peace and peaceful behaviors, I like to have students create a meaningful bulletin board to show what they learned.
First, we make simple dove crafts. We used paper, but they can also be made using paper plates.
Next, students finish the sentence starter “Peace is…” and draw a picture. I display them along with an inspirational quote poster.
This is another activity that I recently tried. I talk to the students about Martin Luther King, Jr. wanting to bring about change peacefully, with no fighting. We then discuss ways that they can promote peace in school, at home, and even in the community.
I then give each student a peace symbol. They draw and/or write how they can promote peace in the two large areas at the top of the symbol. Then they sign/write their first name and last name in the lower areas and color the peace sign if they wish.
This peace sign printable is also included in my free newsletter. Sign up here to access the 3 free downloads from this post.
Color by Number & Color by Letter Martin Luther King, Jr. Pages
A fun and educational way of reviewing skills during a special unit is to use coloring pages that reveal a special picture.
Students color each section according to the code. This page is a color by number using ten frames and numbers. It reveals a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. when completed.
We also do a color by letter using beginning sounds. It reveals a peace sign when completed.
If you would like all of the activities included in this post plus a few more, you can download my Martin Luther King, Jr. Unit here.
