Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 20th our nation will celebrate a very important man and historic day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  The past couple of years I have tried to use this time to build up a key part of my son’s character – compassion.  I also try to use the this time and focus on the differences of people, but how we are still all the same.  This year I decided to go more in depth to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. through children’s books.  If you go to your local library you will find a lot of children’s books that discuss Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood, convictions, and his contribution to change for our nation.

I chose three books which had colorful pictures and an age appropriate summary of who Martin Luther King Jr. was.

1. My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris

I enjoyed this book because it told the story of Martin Luther King Jr. as a child through the eyes of his sister.  I felt this was a great way to talk to my son, Noah, about empathy for others.  I was able to ask  Noah questions such as: “How would you feel if you were Martin?”, “Is it fair to treat someone different just because they do not look the same as you?” and “What would you do if you were Martin?” Noah was able to answer and discuss with me these topics because the story was told through a little child’s eyes, just like him. I also loved that this book encouraged Noah to have courage and plant a seed of confidence for him to do great things.

2. Shades of People by Shelly Rotner

This book is very simple.  It is mostly pictures with no more than two sentences on each page.  The pictures are all of kids, but each kid is different in some way. I loved this book because it gives a bigger point of view for Noah to show that we are not all physically the same, but we are all still people. I used this book to show that there is no other person that will be exactly like him or exactly like his family. I had him describe in words how physically he and I are different. I am a girl, he is a boy. I have lighter skin, he has darker skin. I have long hair, he has short hair…and so and so forth. Lastly, I reiterated that just because we look different from one another does not mean we treat each other differently, but we still act in love and treat others as we want to be treated.

3. Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

This book is very powerful. It quickly summarizes the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with beautiful pictures and easy to read literature.  The best part is that on each page there is a powerful quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that speaks boldness to the character that Martin had and that we should all demonstrate.

My favorites were:
“You are as good as anyone.”
“Everyone can be great.”
“Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
“Love is the  key to the problems of the world.”

On the very last page was the most famous quote of all, “I have a dream that one day in Alabama little black boys and black girls will join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” I used the power of his words to discuss with Noah how we can ensure that his dream stays and continues to unfold.

I really enjoyed reading all these books with Noah. I did not read them all in one day, but over the span of a week or so.  I will most likely re-read them to hear any new questions or thoughts he might have.

Our children look to their parents for learned behaviors. What we say, how we act and how we treat one another.  I believe teaching kids at young age to love a person for their inner traits and not their outward traits lets them hold on to their child-like innocence forever.

You Can be Like Martin

by Mildred D. Johnson

Martin was a peaceful boy,

And peaceful when a man.

He wanted peace for everyone

All throughout our land.

You can be a peaceful child,

Even a peaceful man.

You can be like Martin,

Yes, you can!

What are some ways you teach your children important character traits?  Do you use books, life lessons, art, or something else?