Why do we celebrate Women’s History Month? We have unique and creative womens history month facts, printables, activities, ideas, classroom resources and lessons to help celebrate women and their contributions.
March is Women’s History Month and it’s a great time to discover, study, and celebrate awesome women and their contributions to history.
(And, don’t worry, we’ve done all the legwork for you so that you can get right into the fun and not waste time researching.)
There are enough Women’s History Month lesson plans, crafts, games and activities here for you to fill the entire month of March!
Enjoy learning about female role models in history!
When Is Women’s History Month?
Women’s History Month starts on Sunday, March, 1, 2020 and ends on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
Why Do We Celebrate Women’s History Month?
Women’s History Month was created to recognize, honor, and celebrate the many contributions that women have made throughout history to culture and society. The month also recognizes the struggles of women and the accomplishments over those struggles. The National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress and in 1987 March was proclaimed Women’s History Month. It is celebrated in March to create activities around International Women’s Day, which is March 8.
When was the first Women’s History Month?
So, who started Women’s Month? Women’s History Month actually started as a local celebration of “Women’s History Week” in Sonoma, California, in 1978. They chose the week of March 8th, which is International Women’s Day, as the celebratory week. The movement gained such momentum and popularity that in 1980 President Jimmy Carter declared the Week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month.
According to the National Women’s History Alliance site:
By 1986, 14 states had already declared March as Women’s History Month.
This momentum and state-by-state action was used as the rational to lobby Congress to declare the entire month of March 1987 as National Women’s History Month.
In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity.
A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women.
Also, check out this short video for an explanation of Women’s History Month, Women’s History Month facts, and why we celebrate women and famous female heroes!
What is Women’s History Month for kids?
Since March is National Women’s History Month, is it a great time to tailor lessons and activities around learning about the important contributions of different women throughout history.
Need some inspiration to get started?
Quotes for Women’s History Month
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. — Marie Curie
Women don’t need to find their voice. They need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen. — Meghan Markle
I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. — Rosa Parks
We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. — Malala Yousafzai
I would like to be remembered as someone who was not afraid to do what she wanted to do, and as someone who took risks along the way in order to achieve her goals. — Sally Ride
Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination. — Mae Jemison
The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble. — Serena Williams
11 Awesome National Women’s History Month Activities
Women’s History Month Activities #1: Watch Videos About Women’s History Month
Videos are always a great (and fun!) place to start.
So, be sure to check out these women in history videos:
A History of Women’s Achievement in America
African American Women in History
Women’s History Month Activities #2: Take an Audio-Visual Journey
Another fantastic resource when studying women in history is at WomensHistoryMonth.gov.
A cool thing about this site is that they have a huge collection of history photos, as well as audio and video, so you can do a complete audio visual journey!
You can really immerse your learner into history with information and timelines and more.
Lastly, don’t miss the Teacher’s Resources on their site.
Women’s History Month Activities #3. Plan Virtual Field Trips
In our information age, you can often visit places without even physically being there.
The National Women’s History museum site is great for a virtual field trip.
This site has a large amount of interesting topics like:
• Women in fashion
• Entrepreneurial woman
• Chinese American women in history
• Girls changing history
• Women in early film (and SO MUCH MORE)
The categories also have online exhibits you can view.
Super cool!
Also check out the Smithsonian and their “Discover Her Story” section for a cool virtual field trip.
Women’s History Month Activities #4. Complete Women’s History Month Printables
Education.com and TeachersPayTeachers.com both a TON of different printables and worksheets about women that you can download.
(Some are free and some are paid. Just filter on “FREE” to see those.)
Also, they are listed by grade level and by course topic (social studies, reading and writing, etc.), so that’s helpful if you’re searching for a particular area!
Women’s History Month Activities #5. Do Some Women in History Month Lesson Plans
NEA.gov has a very large selection of women in history lesson plans and activities.
Scholastic.com also has a huge selection of resources that are broken down by grade level, from K-12
ZinnEdProject.org also has a wide variety of women’s history topic listed by grade level.
Learn about 20 Famous Women from the Bible
View a timeline of “Women’s Firsts: Breaking Down Barriers”
Women’s History Month Activities #6. Add a Diverse Group of Women to Your Studies
Don’t forget to add a wide range of women from different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures!
Try:
Women’s History Month Activities #7. Learn About the Women’s Suffrage Movement
The women’s suffrage movement, often called “The Most Significant Achievement of Women in the Progressive Era,” is an important area to study and perfect for women’s history lessons during March.
Check out:
Women’s Suffrage: Crash Course US History #31
Women’s History Month Activities #8. Study Stamps of Women in History
OK, this is one of the absolutely COOLEST THINGS on this list!
(Not only is it cool, it’s really unique and gives a learning twist for women in history.)
If you love studying stamps with your homeschoolers (or even if you don’t, it’s still cool!), be sure to check out Women Who Left Their “Stamps” on history.
Each stamp gives detailed information about the woman featured and shows the stamp and you can use it as a jumping off point to look for more resources about the women (and even start stamp collecting!).
(So awesome, right?)
Women’s History Month Activities #9. Celebrate and Honor Women in Military
We often overlook women who served in the military when talking about women’s history.
However, women have served an important part of the military for a very long time.
Watch this quick video from The Department of Defense on different women who served in the military.
It’s a great starting point if you want to study more about women in the military!
Also check out:
Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII
A History of US Women in the Military
Famous Women in Air Force History
Black Female Heroes Made Sure U.S. WWII Forces Got Their Mail
Read:
Women’s History Month Activities #10. Celebrate Women in STEM
Interested in focusing on women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)?
Check out ScienceNetLinks.com which has a variety of resources to celebrate women and their contributions to science.
Listen to Untold History of Women in Science and Technology.
Watch Hidden Figures and then read the book.
Read about women in science:
Women’s History Month Activities #11. Read Awesome Women in History Books
You knew reading had to be on this list amazing list of activities, right?
(It’s like you don’t know me . . . AT ALL.)
Check out our list of famous women in history books for kids.
If you don’t know about Brad Meltzer’s I AM children’s book series, they are SO GOOD!
(You won’t be disappointed!)
I AM: Ordinary People Change the World Books by Brad Meltzer
Here are some of our favorites in the I AM: Ordinary People Change the World book series about women:
