MLK Jr. Day and Early Childhood Education

Updated: February 21, 2023

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Jr. Day) is a special day where we have the opportunity to reflect on important messages and the world’s current situation. You might wonder how you should handle this day of discussion with your child, so we will take a moment to go over some important points.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

• We celebrate the accomplishments of MLK Jr. but also reflect on how we can help our communities become welcoming and just.
• Ways to celebrate with your child are: Encourage discussion and asking questions, Read relevant books, Do community service.
• At Casa we read books and complete an interactive worksheet.

MLK Jr. Day remembers his accomplishments, fight for civil rights, and the end of racial segregation. This holiday has now broadened in meaning and is also a day of discussion and taking steps to help our communities become welcoming and just. Today, there are a lot of hard, and sometimes uncomfortable discussions taking place regarding feelings people have suppressed due to lack of social education. These discussions show that although we have made some strides, we still need to listen to each other and make a promise to understand our history, and how our behaviors impact those around us. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is typically celebrated through parades, marches, community service, education, and discussion.    

We can be good role models by engaging children and answering questions as best as we can. Children’s awareness and comprehension of deeper topics is greater than we imagined. By nurturing the trait of respectfulness and understanding, children can advocate for positive change when they are older. 

Ways to Celebrate With Your Child:

• Read books about MLK Jr. or on related topics such as diversity. A good resource for recommendations will be your center director!
• Find Martin Luther King Jr. quotes for your child to read and ask questions. Such as : “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, “The time is always right to do what is right”. 
• Participate in community service.
• Support black-owned businesses.

The Casa Connection

At Casa, we celebrate by reading age appropriate books to the children. We have chosen these books because they do the best job in sharing with the children important themes for this holiday. Children also fill out an interactive worksheet we have created, where they color and share more about this celebration.