Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with kindergarten students is a wonderful opportunity to teach them about equality, justice, and the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. First introduce MLK day with a few short videos and discuss ideas and concerns with the class. Then provide a few engaging activities to celebrate MLK day with kindergarten kiddos.

Introduction of MLK Day for Kindergarten

Introduce MLK day with these short videos to develop background knowledge at the beginning of the lesson. This anticipatory set is an activity that occurs to prepare students for new material and learning. Anticipatory sets are also known as hooks, bridges, or attention grabbers.

Generally they:

✅Engage students
✅Encourage student participation
✅Access students’ prior knowledge
✅Build a bridge between current knowledge and the information about to be presented
✅Tell students what the lesson will be about
✅Gauge students’ background knowledge of the subject

Engaging Ways to Celebrate MLK Day

Without a doubt complete some age-appropriate activities that can be used in the classroom.

Read Age-Appropriate Books:

Choose picture books that introduce the life and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. Some examples include “Martin’s Big Words” by Doreen Rappaport and “Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King” by Jean Marzollo. Checkout books on my Amazon Storefront

Sing Songs with Movement:

Introduce simple songs related to Martin Luther King Jr. or civil rights. Also incorporate movement activities to make it engaging for the children.

Create Art Work:

In addition, engage kiddos with crafts that relate to Martin Luther King Jr. Surely they can create handprint doves, peace signs, or friendship bracelets to symbolize unity and love.

1. 2D Coloring Page that is a fun fine motor art project that incorporates math. If you have a colored printer, the kiddos have to use small markers to color the shapes to match. Of course use the black line worksheets to have the kiddos color the entire page. So grab the package HERE.
2. Directed Drawing of MLK themes for the celebration. Check out the ones we did below!
3. Create handprint doves, peace signs, or friendship bracelets to symbolize unity and love.

In conclusion remember to adapt activities based on the attention span and interests of the kindergarten students. In fact keep the focus on positive values, friendship, and the idea that even small actions can contribute to a more inclusive and compassionate world.

Hopefully, you found a few engaging ways to celebrate MLK Day!

Teach Magically,

💖Debora