Martin Luther King Jr Crafts

I can’t believe it’s January already!  This month we’ll be recognizing the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr. This month is a fantastic month to make children more culturally aware as well as become more familiar with King and his quest for peace and equality. Below, you will find three simple yet effective Martin Luther King Jr crafts for kids to help get children more involved with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and embrace diversity in a way that is fun and frugal at the same time!

Multicultural Martin Luther King Jr Crafts For Kids

Craft #1
Multicultural Hand Wreath
Supplies:

• White, Black, Yellow, Orange, Red construction paper
• scissors
• foam wreath form or cardboard wreath form
• craft glue

Intro: Introduce this activity by talking to children about different colors of skin. You can even look through magazines to look at people at various races and ethnicities. Then, create a wreath that shows hands in all different colors. Point out how the wreath has all of the hands united, going in a circle and working together to create the decorative object. This is just like real life. When people of all races join hands and works together, beautiful things can happen.
Directions:

1. Trace each child’s hand on the various colors of paper.
2. Cut the hands out.
3. Once the hands are cut out, glue them onto a wreath form (a foam form from the dollar store works great!) or a cardboard form working in a clockwise motion.
4. When finished, you can add ribbon for hanging or hang as is.

Craft #2
Freedom Bell
Supplies:

• Gold bell ornament
• peel and stick letters

Intro: The Freedom Bell is representative of the phrase “let freedom ring,” a phrase often heard in history and literature. Explain to children how the bell can be a symbol of freedom, and the sound of the bell can remind us to always work at being fair and treating others equally. Then, create your own freedom bell!
Directions:

1. We found our gold bell at our local Dollar Tree store. If you can’t find one, you can sprinkle gold glitter on a paste covered Styrofoam cup turned upside down. Simply peel and stick the letters (we found ours in the craft aisle at our local dollar tree) to the bell.
2. For ours we wrote “Freedom” but feel free to stick on words that are meaningful to the child such as “Love” or “Peace” even. If the glitter is keeping your stickers from sticking, just apply a little glue for extra support.

Craft #3
Same on the Inside Egg Activity
Supplies:

• Googly eyes
• construction paper
• scissors, glue3 eggs

Intro: In this activity, children will learn how that even when people look different on the outside, we are all the same on the inside. While many people have done this activity using various color eggs, this method costs less and lets you use supplies you already have around your home.
Directions:

1. Have the children create faces on three eggs. Begin by starting with face cut outs each of various shades.
2. Add googly eyes, a nose if you wish, mouth, and even hair if you would like.
3. Let children get as creative as they wish here.
4. When done, glue the faces on the eggs.
5. Talk about how each egg looks different. You can point out the differences (or even write them on a chart) if you want.
6. When done, go ahead and break the eggs open one at a time.
7. What do the children notice now? All of the eggs (should) look the same. In fact, you may not be able to tell apart one from the next. Use this to reinforce the concept that we are all the same on the inside.

As you can see, these are three excellent ways to touch upon diversity with children and introduce them to the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. While his day of honor falls in January, these crafts are great to try all year round. So gather the kiddos, gather your simple supplies, and give these crafts a try. It will be sure to be a fun and meaningful experience for everyone