Easy Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for kids

Inside: Fun and Easy Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for Kids perfect for MLK Day or learning about the civil rights movement.

On the third Monday of January each year in the United States we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

This federal holiday is a great time to teach kids about Martin Luther King and his impact as a civil rights leader.

As I was putting together all the activities I want to do with my kids in January as we learn about Dr. Martin Luther King I thought I would put together this post to share with you the ideas I have found.

Martin Luther King Jr Activities for Kids

These Martin Luther King Day activities are also perfect for black history month and social studies units on civil rights and social justice.

I love including a variety of activities in my lesson plans so you will find a variety of printable activities, hands on activities as well as some books, movies and virtual field trip ideas.

You don’t need to do all of these MLK activities. Pick the ones that are best for your kids ages and that interest you. You can always save this post and do some of the other activity ideas next year.

Martin Luther King Jr Books

Pick a book or two to read and learn about martin Luther King jr. before starting on the other fun activities. This is a great way for kids to get familiar with the story of Martin Luther King jr.

There are a lot of different children’s books and chapter books you can read about King.

Videos About Martin Luther King Jr for Kids

Another great way to learn about Martin Luther King Jr. is by watching some of the videos available about him.

We watched a few videos about Dr. King while doing some of the printable pages below.

Here are the videos we enjoyed:

There are a lot of good videos to choose from and even some books about king read for you on youtube.

Martin Luther King Coloring Page and Facts

There are two different coloring pages you can pick from both with images to color and some facts and information about the life of Martin Luther King.

These coloring pages are simple enough for young children to enjoy but also great for elementary students.

Little Book About Martin Luther King

This one page free printable turns into a little book with 8 pages of information about King.

Kids will love making this little book and having a fun way to share what they learned about Dr. King’s life.

Virtual Field Trip for MLK Day

Take virtual field trip and tour the birth home of Martin Luther King from the comfort of your home.

MLK Word Search

Get this free printable Martin Luther King Jr. word search with 20 words about Dr. King’s life.

This printable is perfect for kids to do in class, as part of your homeschool lessons or as a no prep activity at home. (It may be a little to challenging for younger kids.)

Equality Egg Activity

This egg activity is an excellent way to explain skin color to younger students. All you need is a white egg and a brown egg for the lesson, but I think this free printable is a great addition.

Martin Luther King Dot Marker Printable

Choose one of the fun Do a Dot Printable pages from Two Pink Peonies. These MLK printables are perfect for younger kids (toddlers and preschoolers).

I Have A Dream Writing Activity

This writing activity craft is a great addition to reading the picture book Martin’s big words. The free printable is perfect for young students with space to write 3 simple answers. (Preschool children can do this activity with some help.)

MLK Color By Number Pages

These color by number pages from The Primary Parade are a fun activity to add to your Martin Luther King Jr lesson plans.

Footsteps of Martin Luther King Activity

Use the free printable foot to make a path showing the different ways we can follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr. and make changes to the world today.

This is a great activity to do for MLK Jr. day and talk to kids about how changing the world isn’t always major events. Ordinary people change the world by simple actions they make each day.

Service Projects

Each year on Martin Luther King Jr day there is a day of service. It’s the only federal holiday that is also designated by Congress as a national day of service.

Many communities and churches sponsor service projects on this special day. If you are looking for service ideas justserve.com is a great resource for local and national service opportunities.

Easy Last Minute Martin Luther King Jr Day Activities for Kids

I hope these free printables and Martin Luther King activities are helpful and give you some ideas for a meaningful way to teach about this important man and his legacy.