Celebrate The New Year with Activities on Martin Luther King Day

January is the perfect month to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King!

We have so many wonderful discussions in our 1st-grade class about the legacy of MLK when going through our activities on Martin Luther King Day, including equality, playing nicely, using our words, and just plain being kind to each other. What a great way to start the New Year!

Since 1st graders know so little about Dr. King and the history of Civil Rights, I am always on the lookout for the best children’s books for Martin Luther King Day to introduce this complex part of our US history. I look for books that keep MLK Day key concepts simple without losing the message of this great man. Below are 2 books that teach about Dr. King’s life quite well and are appropriate for children. 

These books are amazing and make teaching activities on Martin Luther King Day helpful, but I need more for my students! Since they are so interested and engaged with the topic of Civil Rights and Dr. King’s life, simply reading a couple of picture books doesn’t seem to be enough.

They have so many questions about this great man and the inequalities that people experienced. 1st graders definitely understand the concept of fairness, and 6-7 year olds love to hear about this champion for equality.

So, to fill this need for more information and discussion, I created my own children’s book and Martin Luther King Activities Pack that we use every year. And with suggestions from my teammates and buyers, I modify and improve the unit every year.

MLK Day Instruction Ideas

Before reading picture books from my library, I introduce some important MLK day vocabulary words. I post close to 50 words on my word wall and later give each student their own Dr. King word wall to keep in their work folders for easy reference throughout the activities on Martin Luther King Day. These become especially handy when my students are writing their reports on the legacy of Martin Luther King and his life. (see below)

Here are some of the vocabulary words I use throughout the unit, and I will refer to the word wall.

Early on when going through activities on Martin Luther King Day, I teach a simple Dr. King song to my students (included in the unit). We sing “I Have a Dream” or “Freedom, Freedom” during transitions to the carpet and when lining up. They love this simple song and the message it brings.

One aspect of this Martin Luther King Activities Pack that I spent a great amount of time creating and revising is the Dr. King booklet. This 1/2 page Martin Luther King activity booklet includes information on the legacy of Martin Luther King and his greatest achievements. Students fill in important vocabulary words from the word bank at the beginning of the book and then color each page.

Students refer to the word bank on the first page of their book to fill in the blanks on each page.

They also learn about how Rosa Parks became known as the “mother of the civil rights movement” by making a foldable bus!

Application of Key MLK Day Concepts

After reading and filling out the information books, we review the key MLK day concepts learned with some worksheets on Martin Luther King (also included in the Dr. King Pack). Many first graders need support with these activities on Martin Luther King day, so we complete these together. 2nd graders would be more independent with these activities.

At the end of the unit, I have my students write reports about Dr. King’s life and his achievements. They begin with a report planner and fill in the blanks with ideas for each sentence. I encourage them to write simple phrases and keep the sentences for later in their written report.

Then they write their 1st copy in their spiral notebooks, revise, get teacher edit, and then transfer to their final copy page:

Parents are so proud of what their children have learned about the legacy of Martin Luther King when they see the final copies, and so are the students!

Lastly, my students also have the opportunity to make and use a paper bag puppet of Dr. King to repeat the messages they have learned.

One of our favorite activities on Martin Luther King Day!

I hope your students learn about equality, playing nicely, using our words, and just plain being kind to each other with this MLK Day unit. Let me know if you have any questions or comments below and Happy New Year!

Looking for more important leader activities? Check out these blog posts:

• 20 Important Black Americans in America FREEBIE
• FREEBIE Sampler of My Presidents’ Day Activities Pack!

Thanks for stopping by!