Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might be the most recognizable name in American civil rights history. We celebrate this inspirational leader on the third Monday of January each year, but his life and legacy are valuable lessons all year long. Use these resources about Martin Luther King Jr. for kids to share his experiences and significance in your classroom or at home.
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Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist and leader in the 1950s and 1960s in the southern United States. He believed in nonviolent, peaceful protest as a means to fight racial injustice. Dr. King was a powerful speaker, delivering many speeches to inspire others to join the movement. He survived several attacks on his life but was assassinated in 1968 at age 39.
Named after his father, Michael King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1934, his father changed his own name to Martin Luther King Sr. and renamed his son Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1954 and lived there for the rest of his life.
Martin Luther King Jr. married Coretta Scott in 1953. They had four children together: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice. Coretta Scott King spent her life continuing her husband’s fight for civil rights and preserving his legacy.
Martin Luther King’s father was a pastor who regularly stood up to segregation in Atlanta and led a local march for Black voting rights in 1936. King followed in his father’s footsteps and became a pastor. While serving at a church in Alabama, King Jr. became a leader in the Civil Rights Movement through the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and led it through many civil rights protests and other activities in the years that followed.
King was well-known for insisting civil rights activists protest peacefully, even when met by violence from those opposed to their movement. During a trip to India in 1959, Dr. King learned about Mahatma Gandhi’s belief in nonviolent change. Other influences on Dr. King’s beliefs included Henry David Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience.
Rosa Parks met Dr. King after her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. They worked together during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was ultimately successful in desegregating the city’s transportation system.
King gave his most famous speech during the 1963 March on Washington. More than 250,000 civil rights supporters were in the audience as he spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28.
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Dr. King was arrested at least 29 times, often on trumped-up charges. In 1960, a court in Atlanta sentenced him to four months of hard labor. Then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy intervened on his behalf and he was released.
In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” He accepted the award in the name of the thousands of people in the Civil Rights Movement, whom he called a “mighty army of love.”
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was staying at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. As he stood on the balcony outside his room to speak to those gathered below, he was shot and killed. Police arrested James Earl Ray, who was sentenced to a 99-year term in prison for the crime.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, sometimes called MLK Day, is held on the third Monday in January each year in the United States. This falls on or close to his birthday, January 15. The federal holiday was approved by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and first observed in 1986.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., at 1964 Independence Avenue S.W. (“1964” refers to the year the Civil Rights Act became law.) It officially opened in 2011 and includes a 30-foot statue and 450-foot-long Inscription Wall.
Here are some of the most important dates and events in Dr. King’s life. Find a more detailed MLK timeline here.
MLK was the youngest recipient at the time he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Activist Malala Yousafzai holds that honor today.
His ability to inspire others with powerful words was one of Dr. King’s greatest attributes. Here are a few of our favorite quotes.
Learn about his life and hear him speak in these videos about Martin Luther King Jr. for kids and teens. (Please preview videos to ensure they’re appropriate for your intended audience.)
Each year, people across the country use the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to give back to their communities. Organize a day of service with your students to join the movement.
Learn more: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at U.S. Department of the Interior
Our roundup of Martin Luther King Jr. activities includes coloring pages, classroom lessons, school and community activities, and much more.
These free Martin Luther King Jr. worksheets include four printable pages, including a student handout, reading comprehension questions, a writing activity, and a graphic organizer.
For full lesson plans, check out:
One of the best ways to teach Martin Luther King Jr. for kids is through the many amazing books about him. Take a look at these book lists we compiled:
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