Step One: Talk to your children about MLK Jr, and how his Birthday is coming up. Explain how he was a very important person who changed the world for all of us.
Here are some further examples of things you might include in your discussion. He helped to change laws so that all people could be treated fairly. He had a dream that people could play together, work together, eat and live together and that all people would be treated equally no matter the color of their skin. (If you haven’t read it in a while, here is the transcript to Dr. King’s speech which brings me to tears every time).
https://www.naacp.org/i-have-a-dream-speech-full-march-on-washington
Some of his dreams have come true, and there are others that we are still working towards. People all over the world have been inspired by and are still working on Dr. Kings dreams. The special thing about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was that no matter how angry people got at him, no matter what they did to him, he told people to not hate, but to use love and peace to overcome. Sometimes when people do mean things to us, it hard not to hate and want to hurt them back. Dr. King taught us to always choose love and peace.
Step Two: Create a sign: What does Peace and Love mean to you? Children will often say things like “Peace means not fighting” “No hitting” “Love means Mommy” Write their words on a sign. You might also include words like “Black Lives Matter” and talk about how this movement is continuing the work of Dr. Martin Luther King and his dreams.
Step Three: Hang your signs in your windows, or march around your backyard or neighborhood on Monday. Feel free to post photos of your signs or “march” here!