yoobi teachers · yoobi tips ·Jan 04, 2019

How to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day In Your Classroom

On January 21st, we will all reflect on and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream that one day, children everywhere will be treated with kindness. In 1994, Congress enacted the MLK Jr. Day of Service which was intended to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Image via ShareFaith

We love this holiday because, at Yoobi, we are all about building community by giving kids the tools they need to determine their own paths and shape their own futures. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all. And the greatest guarantee of that freedom and justice is a well-educated society.

Reflect on and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream that one day, children everywhere will be treated with kindness with an act of service. Teachers, learn more on how you can get your students involved with this amazingly rewarding classroom activity.

We know that kids all over the country, like Martin Luther King, Jr., have dreams for their future. MLK Jr. Day of Service is an amazing way to engage kids, get them thinking about their own dreams, and at the same time, honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings. When people from disparate walks of life come together to serve a common cause, that, we believe, creates the foundation of a community.

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” We think the potential to change the world lies in every student. With that in mind, we want to share a link to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and challenge teachers like you, across the country, to participate in a journaling exercise that gets your kids thinking about their dreams for the future, for their community and for their country.

Once you’ve shown your class the speech, we would love for you to participate in a service activity with your students.

YOOBI SERVICE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

On January 21st, we will all reflect on and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream that one day, children everywhere will be treated with kindness.

Have your students engage in 1 act of kindness. Then have them write about their experience:

What was the act of service and who was it meant to help?
Why did they choose that act of service?
What do they dream of for their future?
How does helping others help them achieve their own dreams (killer question and should be the main focus for kids that are old enough.)

Feel free to submit your students’ projects to stories@yoobi.com for a chance to be featured on Yoobi social.

We can’t wait to see what creative adventures your students engaged in.

Here’s to building communities, one dream at a time. Happy MLK Jr. Day of Service!

Need journals? Check out Yoobi’s journal, spiral notebook and comp book collections!

Use your exclusive teacher coupon from this January’s Issue of Toucan Times for 20% off ANY item on Yoobi.com. Not signed up for Yoobi’s Teacher E-Newsletter? Sign up for the Toucan Times here.