Martin Luther King Writing Prompts
When I was a child, learning about Martin Luther King was very empowering, because through hearing stories of the past, I was able to imagine myself marching along with him, protesting injustice and setting the world right. Children should be told these inspirational stories not just as part of a dry history lesson or because “it’s that time of year,” but because it is a powerful way to help them see themselves as world changers.
The following writing prompts are intended to help kids practice creative writing but also to get them to really think about the legacy of Martin Luther King and what it means in their lives today.
Older children may write a page or two, while younger words may write a few sentences or even a list. Pre-writers can draw pictures, and groups of children can even act out their responses.
How do you inspire the next generation of world leaders?
Martin Luther King Writing Prompts
Make an acrostic poem for the word “Courage” or “Martin.”
My dream for the world is…
If I could make one change in the world it would be…
Some of the ways Martin Luther King showed courage were…
Some of the ways that I have shown courage are…
Martin Luther King’s dream made a difference in my life because…
If I saw a sign in a shop saying “Whites Only” I would feel…
If I saw a sign in a shop saying “Whites Only” what I would do is…
If someone said something mean to another kid because of how they looked, I would…
I like having friends who look and talk differently from me because…
I’m glad that I’m unique because…
Some of the ways I’m unique are…
Even though people might look or talk differently from me, there are lots of things we might have in common, such as…
One way that kids can make a difference in the world is…
If I had marched with Martin Luther King, I would have felt…
If Martin Luther King traveled in time from the past and visited us today, I would tell him…
This post is part of our series Martin Luther King Day for Kids, where we share resources for teaching children about the legacy of Dr. King.
-2 Comments-
I like your writing prompts a lot! This is such a great way to approach MLK Jr. Day Leanna!
Thank you so much! I used a number of these with my son, and it was really great to see how he was thinking about everything we had talked about. Kids come up with some really amazing things when given the opportunity!