What’s the Best Way to Teach Children About Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Today is an important day. It's hard for me to believe that we used to have drinking fountains, restrooms, bus seats, etc. for white's only. The thought of it, still breaks my heart. Thankfully our society heard Martin Luther King, Jr.? “I Have a Dream” speech issued on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and started treating people equally.

This holiday is an incredible opportunity to teach your children not only about the courageous Dr. King, but more importantly, to help them understand the message he brought. There are several ways you can teach your child kindness, peace, and love.

Here is on activity from kidactivity.net that you could do with your children to teach them about MLK day.

WE HAVE A DREAM POSTER

First...
Talk to children about Martin Luther King's dream and the fact that one man managed to help change a whole country. Ask children if they could change big things in the world, what would they be?

Next-
Have children trace the outline of their hands on a variety of construction paper in different rainbow colors. Have them cut out each hand shape and then glue them onto the poster board.

Now think of things that the children believe need change in the world. Not many people will get the chance to speak before thousands of people at the Lincoln Memorial like Martin Luther King, Jr., but there are things your program can do to make a difference!

Perhaps it's collecting cans for a local food bank to help the hungry, or running a car wash to raise money for the homeless.
Maybe it's bringing entertainment to cancer patients at a local hospital or sending care packages to soldiers abroad.

On each hand, write one thing that each child dreams of changing, such as Hunger or Homelessnes; next write a few sentences about what they can do to help.

Not only will this project children thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr., but it will encourage them to explore what they can do to make the world a better place. It's never too young to start making a difference. KEEP THE POSTER UP ALL YEAR AND MAKE IT A PERMANENT PART OF YOUR CLASSROOM/PROGRAM!