Here are a few ideas for focusing on the meaning of Martin Luther King Day with kids - with an MLK activity, MLK easy craft, and an MLK book!
Every year MLK day sneaks up on us, as it falls right after that two week period where you're just coming out of the holiday daze (and digging yourself out of your email inbox and to do list). It's important to us though, so this year we tried to prep (a little) earlier to make sure we were able to spend some time focusing on the meaning of the day with the kids.
Peaceful versus Non-Peaceful Activity
We wanted an activity that was appropriate for all age levels in our house - 2 to 8 years old. So this one focuses on differentiating peaceful versus non-peaceful activities and then reflecting on how those actions might make you feel. It's adapted from a worksheet* but blown up to be a little more life size and colorful - with that added 'feelings + emotions' twist.
Materials Needed:
Printer / Printer Paper
Large sheet of paper - could use a butcher paper roll, poster board, the back side of a piece of wrapping paper, a few pages taped together... whatever you've got!
Old magazines
Scissors
Painters tape (or really any other type of adhesive)
Instructions:
Step 1: Print and cut out all the relatable acts - found on our template below (or you can make your own)!
Step 2: Grab some old magazines and cut out faces that are full of emotion - we focused mainly on scared, angry, sad, and happy. This is a step that you can do in advance or you can have your child assist - in picture selection and/or the cutting.
Step 3: Tape down the butcher paper and draw a thick line down the center to separate the two columns. Title them "Peaceful" and "Non-Peaceful".
Step 4: Turn over the cut-outs you made in steps 1 (the acts) so you can't see the words. Ask your kids to flip them over one at a time (we took turns with who got to do the flipping). Read them aloud (or have your older kids read aloud), and then have them work together to figure out which side of the grid they belong. Use tape or glue to get them on.
Step 5: Read the list of all the acts again - one side at a time - and talk about how the acts on each side might make you feel. "How do you feel when someone hits you?". Then turn over all the emotional clip outs (so you can't see the face), and follow the same process of turning them over one by one and adhering them to the correct side of the grid.
Step 6: At the end we talked about how (unfortunately) common some of those actions are and how hard it is to always be peaceful and stand up for peace. We talked about MLK and how brave he was to do this consistently. This segues well into the next activity.
*Note: Inspiring worksheet was from the internet (and seems to have originated with Lyndsey Kuster, a teacher sharing resources).
Thank You Letters
You can make this next activity as crafty or simple as you desire - using whatever materials you have on hand. It's also a great follow up to the activity above, as we picked up right where we left off - talking about how hard it is to stand up for peace.
We kicked off this one brainstorming with the kids - who do they know that stands up for peace (a teacher, friend, themselves, a public figure, etc.).
Then, we asked them to pick one of those people to write a letter to - saying THANK YOU for standing up for what is right - even when it's hard.
The letter could be on real blank cards with envelopes plus decorative stickers, or it could be as simple as a folded piece of paper with a pen. For some people, you could even decide to mail the letter. For others (like someone who isn't alive anymore or a famous person), you can just "honor" them by writing the letter. Whatever works for you!
Read a Kids' Book
I'll start by saying that, for our family, we talk about many MLK-related topics throughout the year, but we wait to talk about some of these topics until we feel our kids are ready. The role race and skin color is something that we cover somewhat early, but we wait longer to talk about breaking an unjust law to change it, the intersection of police enforcement and race relations, etc. So if that's true for you too, I'd suggest pre-reading many of the books about MLK to determine what makes sense for your kid given their age and maturity level. For example, we already talk about the history of skin color and discrimination with our 4, 6, and 8 year old plus the other more complex topics with our 8 year old (and some with our 6 year old).
When looking for a book, we followed a recommendation and initially borrowed "My Daddy, Dr MLK Jr". We found that is has a lot of wonderful messages (and a really unique perspective - from one of MLK's kids), but it also paints a picture (across several of its pages) of police as the enemy - without any context. It's understandable that it was the author's experience growing up. But we felt it wasn't the right book for all three oldest - instead only our oldest so we could talk through the context with him.
So we searched for a more fitting book, and we found "My Brother, Martin" (yes, another book written by a family member of MLK). This book spent time explaining segregation and how terrible it made the children (MLK and his family and friends) feel in a gentle but powerful way. It also explained how those injustices planted seeds of hope in MLK to inspire him to "turn the world upside down".
We liked the book! There are definitely some sections that spurred questions from our kids - but nothing I'm not comfortable talking about at this age. Questions are good and one of the reasons we read, right??
One note: There are a couple words used in the book (that are not used today) that you may want to think about how to handle. For us, I decided to read them but prepped myself for a conversation (which would include how important it is not to repeat because they will hurt others' feelings very badly). I did consider skipping over them, as our kids do love to repeat words we ask them not to use... so I'd think that is an option too. You know best.
So again , I share all that to say what you already know - this is complex and every family is different, so I suggest going to the library or book shop to find a book that fits your family!
I hope this post helps you find a way to honor the day in a few different ways!
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