Years in the past once I was in faculty, a buddy and I drove from our New England faculties to California. Alongside the best way we stopped in Memphis- residence of fantastic barbecue, a wealthy musical heritage, Graceland, the Peabody Geese, St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital, and the Lorraine Motel. The Lorraine Motel might not have been talked about in historical past books however the balcony outdoors room 306 is the place the place Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was slain and round it grew The Nationwide Civil Rights Museum. With MLK Day upon us, there are numerous fabulous instructional assets that can be utilized to show children of all ages about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and civil rights in age applicable methods.
In 2016 I went again to Memphis for the primary time in years, first throughout my go to to St. Jude after which with my household a month in the past to run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Extra vital than becoming a member of me in Memphis to observe me run a race I had educated so onerous for, I felt it was important for them to go to the Nationwide Civil Rights Museum. I wished my children, then ages 13 and 10, to raised perceive the historic milestones that marked the battle for freedom and justice that continues immediately.
The museum is laid out like a timeline, beginning with the historical past of slavery in America, highlighting every poignant occasion that was a part of the civil rights motion, and ending with guests peering into the room the place Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed earlier than he was assassinated. Preserved as if he’s going to re-enter at any minute, it’s a sobering reminder that regardless of the progress our nation has made, we nonetheless have an extended technique to go.
Tips on how to Train Youngsters About Martin Luther King, Jr. and Civil Rights
We keep in mind Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday however does it have that means for our kids apart from being a break day from college? Do our youngsters know of Dr. King’s contributions to the historical past of our nation and the way his beliefs impressed so many?
Figuring out Dr. King from classroom classes isn’t sufficient. Do a deeper dive to additional their understanding about who Dr. King was, his beliefs about equality for all, and his impression on the civil rights motion in an age applicable manner. In the event you’re fighting how you can speak about Dr. King along with your youngster and how you can assist them wrap their heads round what Martin Luther King Day means, begin small and replicate as Coretta Scott King inspired folks to do when she King offered a imaginative and prescient of how the vacation honoring her husband needs to be noticed:
“The vacation should be substantive in addition to symbolic. It should be greater than a day of celebration . . . Let this vacation be a day of reflection, a day of educating nonviolent philosophy and technique, a day of getting concerned in nonviolent motion for social and financial progress.”
—Coretta Scott King to The Washington Publish, 1983
In honor of observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in a manner that Mrs. King hoped we’d do, listed here are assets for youths of all ages that may assist your dialog about Dr. King and matters of race, privilege, equality, and civil rights to additional their schooling immediately and all year long.
Preschoolers
Martin Luther King, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, dealing with proper, at microphones, after assembly with President Johnson to debate civil rights, on the White Home, 1963 / WKL courtesy of Library of Congress
Although younger, preschoolers have an unimaginable quantity of empathy and compassion in direction of others. There are numerous classes from Dr. King that may be shared in impactful methods however top-of-the-line methods is simply to have a dialog and embrace the teachable moments all year long as your preschooler has questions.
Listed here are some age applicable conversations you’ll be able to ask your preschooler to show them about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s beliefs:
- Dr. King impressed so many people all through his life by way of his speeches, actions, and beliefs that he was a task mannequin. Speak about what a task mannequin is and ask them who conjures up them. It might be anyone- a member of the family, neighborhood chief, buddy, and so forth. The chances are countless!
- Dr. King stood as much as others to create social change. Ask your youngster to speak a few time that they wished they might change one thing at residence, college, or in your neighborhood and the way they might go about creating change.
- Dr. King spoke about freedom, peace, and love. Speak along with your preschooler about what every of the phrases means to them.
Books to learn: Image e book loving preschoolers study finest by way of tales so make a journey to the library to take a look at books that introduce them to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My buddy, Thien-Kim Lam of I’m Not the Nanny, recommends Martin’s Huge Phrases: The Lifetime of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a result of “the creator makes use of quotes from Dr. King’s speeches to inform the story of his life on this biography geared in direction of younger youngsters.” She recommends taking of the timeline and extra assets within the fantastically illustrated image e book and shares different various image e book biographies in her put up, 11 Inspiring Multicultural Biographies for Youngsters.
Full a day of service: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as soon as mentioned, “Life’s most persistent and pressing query is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” MLK Day can also be The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, making it the right day to have interaction in household pleasant neighborhood service actions in your space by merely getting into your zip code at AllForGood.org
Early Elementary Ages
Martin Luther King, Jr., half-length portrait, dealing with left, talking at microphones, throughout anti-war demonstration, New York Metropolis / World Journal Tribune picture by Don Rice courtesy of Library of Congress
Kindergartners by way of second graders can develop a deeper understanding of who Martin Luther King, Jr. was and his significance to the civil rights motion by way of a myriad of actions that get them pondering and reinforcing rising educational abilities as a part of their studying. Earlier than you start, Educating Tolerance encourages households to ask their children what they find out about Dr. King to begin the dialog. This helps you understand what they’ve discovered at school and the sorts of issues you need to be speaking about at residence.
NORTH FRONT ELEVATION – Martin Luther King Jr. Start House, 501 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, Fulton County, GA courtesy of the Library of Congress
Take a digital tour of Martin Luther King’s residence in Atlanta and have a look at photographs and due to the Nationwide Park Service
Learn this Nationwide Geographic Youngsters’ Martin Luther King, Jr. article. It’s good for fluent readers excited about figuring out who Dr. King was. The child-friendly format makes it simple to learn and significant photographs are interspersed all through the textual content.
Combine some math by watching Britannica’s video that includes a timeline of Dr. King’s life. After you watch the video, write down the dates and occasions, combine them up, and use the dates to debate ordering numbers based on the tens and ones place.
Learn age applicable historic fiction and fictional tales about Dr. King. A Image E-book of Martin Luther King, Jr., My Dream of Martin Luther King, The Story of Ruby Bridges, and Nationwide Geographic Youngsters’ Rosa Parks are a few of my favorites. For extra options, go to Apples 4 the Trainer for a bigger record of books about Dr. King.
Incorporate geography by pulling out a map of america to point out your youngster the place you reside in relation to the place Dr. King grew up in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. the place he gave his iconic I Have a Dream speech.
Brainstorm about citizenship with BrainPop.com’s 5 Issues lesson. Designed for the classroom, this exercise can simply be accomplished at residence since children start by tracing their hand after which brainstorming issues they will do or say to grow to be a greater citizen. I really like BrainPop.com’s concepts of encouraging your children to deal with folks with respect, contribute to the neighborhood, or full tasks at residence and having mother and father do the exercise on the identical time.
Assist them perceive why it’s vital to have interaction in service actions on Martin Luther King Day and the way Dr. King’s birthday advanced right into a nationwide day of service with this video by the Company for Nationwide and Group Service.
Inspecting photographs from the March on Washington on the Nationwide Civil Rights Museum
Look at these 12 Highly effective Pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a household. Taken by LIFE’s photographers and compiled by TIME.com, it’s an unimaginable assortment of photos.
Watch these Prime 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Movies on YouTube curated by Amirah Martin of 4 Hats and Frugal after which learn her put up on educating your youngster to be an advocate for change.
Reinforce literacy with this MLK Discover-a-Phrase free printable from Mama Is aware of it All.
Tweens and Teenagers
Martin Luther King press convention, Marion S. Trikosko, photographer courtesy of Library of Congress
Tweens and youths find out about Dr. King and the civil rights motion are on the age that they wish to know extra. Reap the benefits of multimedia assets that provides them a way of what it was prefer to stay throughout that point in historical past and can personalize their studying in a manner that is sensible for them.
Take part in a digital non-violent protest. What was it prefer to be a part of the non-violent protests throughout the civil rights motion? The Nationwide Civil Rights Museum has an eLearning Sit-In Exercise the place children stroll by way of the protest expertise by way of a sequence of questions. It’s a strong studying exercise that provides tweens and youths an opportunity to get a really feel for what it was prefer to stay in that second in historical past in america and dwelling in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Expertise what it was prefer to face discrimination on bus rides. Rosa Parks is well-known for refusing to surrender her seat on the bus which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Earlier than the Boycott eLearning Exercise from the Nationwide Civil Rights Museum has children serving as a newspaper reporter. From this angle, they’re guided by way of a sequence of bus stops the place they’re given eventualities of unfair therapy and situations that blacks have been subjected whereas using buses in Montgomery, Alabama. After finishing Earlier than the Boycott, check out these unimaginable photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Freedom Riders.
Be taught extra about different civil rights leaders. John Lewis. Ruby Bridges. Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery. These are simply a number of the people who have been additionally civil rights leaders. The Company for Nationwide and Group Service has a playlist of movies the place tweens and youths can hear them discuss Martin Luther King, Jr.
Assist the join the previous with the current. Whereas our nation has made a number of progress by way of equality, we nonetheless have an extended methods to go. Assist tweens and youths join the dots between our nation’s historical past and present occasions by way of significant discussions. You don’t have to have the solutions however an open thoughts to assist them assume by way of what is going on in immediately’s world.
Encourage the usage of historic major assets. The most effective methods to encourage this age to study is thru historic major assets like these from The King Heart and the Library of Congress. These nationwide treasures function highly effective data of historical past because it occurred and looking out up major assets helps reinforce analysis abilities tweens and youths are studying at school whereas selling important pondering. The King Heart’s digital archive options almost one million paperwork related to the lifetime of Dr. King and for these excited about Rosa Parks, the Library of Congress has many assets together with photographs, notes, fliers promoting a lecture, and even a pancake recipe!
Watch Discovery Training’s Greater than a Dream. This documentary is split into 14 chapters and supplies first hand accounts of the African American Civil Rights Motion.
For added assets about how you can proceed the dialog about Dr. King, go to the “Dos and Don’ts of Celebrating MLK Day” by Educating Tolerance, learn “Going the Additional Mile for MLK Day”, and try my put up: Educating Youngsters About Race, Privilege, Equality & Civil Rights in an Age Acceptable Approach.
No compensation was obtained for this put up. Images have been taken on the Nationwide Civil Rights Museum throughout my hosted journey to Memphis with St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital and the journey that was personally paid for once I returned to run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Images of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are used with permission from the Library of Congress‘ digital archives. Amazon Affiliate hyperlinks are included on this put up. All opinions are my very own.
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