Need Martin Luther King Jr lessons for Martin Luther King Jr Day, MLK project ideas, Black History Month activities for kids, or history lesson plans? Whether you need Martin Luther King Jr lessons for kindergarten, looking for a Martin Luther King Jr. lesson plan elementary ages and up, we’ve got you covered with lesson plans, unit study ideas, MLK book recommendations, teaching guides and resources for MLK Jr. Day!
THE BEST MARTIN LUTHER KING JR LESSONS PLANS AND TEACHING RESOURCES
These lesson plans for MLK Day and classroom learning resources include Martin Luther King Jr day preschool lesson plans through high school and Martin Luther King Jr education activities.
The life of Martin Luther King is great for Black History Month or social studies and history lessons all year for younger students and older students like teens in high school!
What do you do on MLK Day with kids?
Martin Luther King Jr. Lessons and Kids Activities:
- Read books about Martin Luther King, Jr. and other books that demonstrate Dr. King’s beliefs
- Listen (or watch) the I Have A Dream speech and do a teaching activity based on the speech
- Discuss racism
- Participate in local events
- Talk about social justice
- Do civil rights lessons or a unit study
- Volunteer (and discuss how Martin Luther King Jr was a great man for encouraging giving back to others)
- Discuss discrimination
- Complete diversity projects
- Make a helping hands of different colors Martin Luther King preschool craft (one of my daughter’s favorite activities for Martin Luther King Day – directions below!)
- Visit a museum with civil rights or MLK exhibits
- Take virtual field trips to civil rights museums
- Learn about the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial
- Do some happy birthday Martin Luther King lesson plans
- Create MLK craft projects and Martin Luther King Jr art projects
- Discuss what it means to be a civil rights leader
- Watch and discuss movies about social justice and discuss important lessons
- Learn about African American history with engaging activities
- Make a timeline of the full life and story of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Learn about Martin Luther King Jr role in the Montgomery bus boycott
- Find diverse activities, books, and resources that help kids celebrate the color of their skin
- Check your local library for special MLK events or hands-on learning resources
- Discuss how to make it a better world
- Reinforce what kids have learned by asking What did Martin Luther King do?
- Host an American Sunday Supper inspired by Reverend Dr. King as part of your MLK Day activities (this is a lot of fun for friend and family events and one of my favorite ideas for Martin Luther King Day!)
Don’t miss more Martin Luther King Day teaching resources, free printable Dr Martin Luther King Jr worksheets pdf, Martin Luther King Jr project ideas, and Martin Luther King Jr. activities for kids below.
KEEP SCROLLING for resources for younger kids, elementary students, and middle school and high school!
Martin Luther King Jr Day Of Service
MLK Day is often seen as a day of service and volunteering and MLK Day is a great time to get your kids involved in helping others!
Dr King stated, “Everyone can be great because everybody can serve” and one of his goals was to make the world a better place.
Why is MLK Day a day of service?
MLK Day is said to be “a day on, not a day off” to encourage people to volunteer and help improve their community as a way to honor Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory and work in helping others.
Americorps, who is charged with leading the Martin Luther King Day of Service, states “this day of service helps to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, address social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a ‘Beloved Community.'”
MLK Day of Service Ideas for Kids
As part of your lessons on Martin Luther King Jr, be sure to add some service projects and volunteering ideas. It’s a great way to get started with regularly giving back to your community! Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day by helping kids volunteer!
Meaningful Ways To Celebrate Doctor Martin Luther King Jr Day:
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter
- Donate food to a local food bank
- Write letters, cards, or color pictures for local nursing homes
- Put together “Blessing Bags” of small supplies for the homeless in your community (even great for young children to help with!)
- Raise money for kids in need
- Take supplies to a local animal shelter
- Put together craft bags for kids in homeless shelters
- Donate allowance to a local shelter
THIS WILL ALSO HELP WILL DR KING’S HELPING OTHERS MESSAGE:
11 Unique Ways Kids Can Help Community From Home
How To Teach Preschoolers About Martin Luther King: Easy Craft For Martin Luther King Day Helping Hands Around The World
This helping hand craft Martin Luther King preschool activity was one of my daughter’s favorite Martin Luther King Day crafts! It’s great for Martin Luther King Jr kindergarten activities, MLK crafts preschool ideas, or even for older kids to list out ways to help others!
MLK Day History Fun Facts for Kids
What day is Martin Luther King?
MLK Day is on the third Monday of every January.
Does MLK Day change every year?
The Martin Luther King Day date changes each year. However, it is always on the third Monday of January each year. It was declared a federal holiday in 1983 to honor Doctor King each year.
Why is Martin Luther King Day in January?
Dr. King’s birthday is on January 15, 1929, so the date first started to honor his birthday. However, later, it was moved to the third Monday in January, so the date now varies.
Why is it important to learn about Martin Luther King?
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important leaders in the civil rights movement. The movement fought for equal rights for everyone. Dr. King had a dream of an American free of racism and segregation. He was also known for supporting protests without using violence.
KEEP SCROLLING for activities for MLK Day for kids!
What was Martin Luther King’s main message?
Martin Luther King Jr’s main message one was one equality and hope.
Dr. King’s life work preached:
- Civil Equality
- Economic Equality
- Justice
- Freedom
- Nonviolence
- Love
What life lessons can we learn from Martin Luther King Jr?
Create a Martin Luther King lesson plan around these topics focusing on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his impact on society…
What can we learn from Martin Luther King?
- Help fight poverty
- Serve others
- Fight racism
- Make your voice heard, especially in non-violent ways
- Choose love instead of hate
- Do your research before trying to change things
- Help to educate others on issues
- Help to create a “Beloved Community” with your actions and support and get involved in your local community
ALSO CHECK OUT MORE BLACK HISTORY LESSONS / BLACK HISTORY MONTH FOR KIDS ACTIVITIES:
Black History Month Resources For The Classroom
Podcasts For Black History Month for Children
Rosa Parks On The Bus And Beyond: Lessons For Black History
Hate U Give Lessons and Activities
OK! Now on to the Martin Luther King activities you can use for learning more about this historical figure.
Plan your Martin Luther King Jr lesson plan or MLK unit study with these MLK resources and Martin Luther King Day craft ideas — Martin Luther King activities for preschoolers and up!
Martin Luther King Jr Lessons and MLK School Age Activities
Martin Luther King, Jr. Unit Study Ideas for Homeschool and Classroom
There are enough MLK learning resources here to create a detailed lesson plan on Martin Luther King Jr or a unit study for Black History Month — whether you’re looking for activities for first grade kids or high school ideas to honor the legacy of Dr. King!
Here are cheap and free home school lesson plans for Martin Luther King Jr Day…
Martin Luther King Jr Activities for Kids
• Read children’s books on Martin Luther King Jr. (great before you start your Martin Luther King assignment!) and then discuss: What did Martin Luther King Jr do to change the world?
These are preschool MLK books, but honestly are good for any age to go with MLK activities for kids: Martins Big Words MLK children’s book by Doreen Rappaport
LEARNING NOTE: This is a great Martin Luther King biography for young kids and also covers a bit of Martin Luther King Jr early life, but it does briefly discuss how did Martin Luther King Jr die, which made my 4 year old upset when we first read it. However, it does continue to be one of our favorite books!
Other Books for MLK Day:
My Little Golden Book About Martin Luther King Jr.
When Martin Luther King Jr. Wore Roller Skates
I Am Martin Luther King Jr. (Ordinary People Who Change The World Series – that entire series is full of great books!)
The Story Of Martin Luther King Jr. (new reader early chapter book covering Martin Luther King Jr.’s life)
• Read Martin Luther King Jr. books for older kids:
National Geographic Readers: Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World (Great MLK high school lessons for speech class!) – a wonderful book to use with older kids, too!
• Read about the March on Washington – one of the most important days in history
• Read and listen to Martin’s big words and then discuss how Martin Luther King Jr accomplishments inspired his life and the speech
• Watch the MLK I Have A Dream speech (one of King’s most famous speeches and one of the most iconic of King’s speeches in history and a must for any MLK Day activity)
• Do teaching activities based on the MLK speech
• Complete a Lesson Plan: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech as a work of literature
• Print a March On Washington free fact sheet printable
• Grab a Martin Luther King Jr lesson plan (The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Racial and Social Justice: A Curriculum for Empowerment)
• Read a Martin Luther King Jr article (like this) or research Martin Luther King Jr facts and write about what you learned or answer the question: How did Martin Luther King changed the world?
• Discuss Martin Luther King Jr leadership lessons and do some free what makes a good leader worksheets pdf
• Get free Martin Luther King Jr reading comprehension worksheets
• Watch and discuss this social justice movie for tweens/teens (good for MLK high school lessons)
• Watch and discuss the video: Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. for today
• Do a What is Discrimination? Lesson Plan
• Add a photojournalism lesson to review and discuss photos of the civil rights (great for Martin Luther King Jr. lesson plans middle school and Martin Luther King Jr activity ideas for high school)
• Reach picture books / children’s books about skin color (like this one) — great for MLK activities for kindergarten and preschoolers
• Download FREE MLK worksheets for kindergarten and up
• Get a free Martin Luther King Jr writing activity
• For toddlers and younger kids, make a sensory bin that honors Black History Month and practice fine motor skills
• Complete a Lesson Plan: MLK Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail ” and the Capitol Hill Riot
• Download free printable Martin Luther King Jr worksheets high school and middle school
• BEST Martin Luther King Jr craft: Add this helping hands craft to your Martin Luther King Jr art lesson plan (one of our favorite Martin Luther King crafts because it’s a fun way to discuss how to help others for preschoolers and up! Definitely add this to your preschool Martin Luther King activities!)
• Take a virtual field trip to the Martin Luther King Jr memorial
• Make a K is for King craft for Martin Luther King crafts for preschoolers
• Grab free Martin Luther King Jr Day worksheets and coloring pages
• Make a Georgia peach smoothie inspired by Martin Luther King Jr’s home state
Let us know your favorite kids’ activities to learn about the Life Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and we’ll add them to our ultimate homeschool resource list on MLK!
Let us know what Martin Luther King Jr lessons you added to your studies!
