Looking for mlk day crafts to pair with a conversation about fairness and equality? These dream clouds, handprint wreaths and colorful peace designs give you plenty to choose from.
Start by talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work for racial justice, then let children share their own ideas.
You can keep things simple with a drawing or work together on a larger display. Some ideas name Dr. King directly.
Others offer peace and friendship themes you can connect to what you’re learning.
MLK Day Craft Ideas to Try Together
hanging dream clouds
We’re starting off with this lovely cloud mobile. The pale blue cloud sits above smaller clouds with dreams for yourself, your school, your community and the world.
I love how each cloud gives you a different place to start. Invite children to write their own hopes rather than copy the answers shown.
white dove with a green branch
How sweet is this little dove? The curved white wing and fan-shaped tail give it such a pretty outline.
That bright green branch adds a little color beside the orange beak.
Read also: 20 Fall Handprint Crafts and Seasonal Art Ideas to Try
For your version, keep the background simple so the bird is easy to see.
a circle of hand cutouts
If you are looking for a group craft, this one is for you. Overlapping hand shapes in light and dark shades form a full circle with the fingers pointing out.
Have each child contribute a traced hand to your own wreath. Leave the middle open like this one.
portrait on a blue background
This portrait has so many little details to notice, from the short black hair strips to the bow tie. I especially love the big round eyes against the blue background.
Read also: 19+ Stunning Painting Ideas On Canvas That Sell Fast
Try pairing your portrait with a fact from a book about Dr. King. The sentence at the top here says he was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
red and yellow heart chains
Love the alternating red and yellow hearts! One chain mixes the two colors while the other stays red.
These are general heart decorations rather than a specific Dr. King project. To connect your version to MLK Day, you could display the hearts beside children's ideas for treating people fairly.
Read also: 20 Thanksgiving Kitchen Decor Ideas With Pumpkins, Leaves and Little Turkeys
handprint wreath with a bow
This is another pretty way to arrange hand cutouts. The narrow oval shape and bow at the bottom make it a little different from the round wreath above.
I’d keep the mix of tan, brown and peach shades for a similar look.
handprints and a circle of people
If you are looking for a larger display, then this one is for you. There’s so much color here, from the handprints in the center to the individually decorated figures around the edge.
The red hearts are my favorite detail. For an MLK Day adaptation, invite children to add a sentence about inclusion beside their own figure.
dream clouds with colorful strips
Want a little more room for writing? These clouds have bright strips hanging underneath, with a different hope written on each one.
Try the same mix of pink, orange, purple and green. You can give each strip a prompt about fairness, your community or something you hope will change.
a dove filled with handprints
I love this giant dove with all those colorful handprints inside. The black outline keeps the bird recognizable even where the prints overlap.
The surrounding words are credited to Ben Harper, not Dr. King. If you make a similar display, keep that attribution or use your class’s own words about peace.
heart hands and colorful rays
This drawing may just be one of my favorites here. Two hands form a heart around “I Have a Dream” while colorful sections spread out behind them.
Read also: 20 Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids and Colorful Art Ideas
Give your own sections words about equality and peace. The little hearts and peace symbols are lovely details to include between the messages.
dove with fringed wings
How pretty are those layered wings? The fine white fringe gives this dove a much more detailed look than the simpler bird above.
I love the bright green branch at its beak.
For younger children, you could adapt the design with larger feather shapes and fewer little cuts.
colorful character puppets
These character puppets have such playful faces. The yellow hair and purple bow are especially cute beside the orange shirt on the taller figure.
They aren’t portraits of Dr. King. You could use a similar set for a conversation about including others, with children suggesting what each character might say.
overlapping hands on a folded card
Don’t want to make a large display? This turquoise folded card gives you a smaller idea to try.
Two hand cutouts overlap across the opening, above the words “Martin Luther King Jr. is…”
You could fill the inside with a drawing and something you’ve learned about his work.
peace sign and dream cloud mobile
I love this colorful hanging design. A white peace sign sits against patches of red, blue, green and yellow, with a cloud hanging below it.
Read also: 17+ Stunning Watercolor Ideas That Sell Out Fast
The cloud includes “I have a dream” and Dr. King’s name. Keep the lettering large if you want to display your version on a wall.
a peace sign surrounded by dots
This is another peace design, but the little overlapping circles give it a different look. Pink, tan, brown and cream marks surround the broad white lines.
If you try a similar dotted pattern, leave the peace sign clear rather than filling every space with color.
white footprints on black
If you’re looking for a design without lots of extra decoration, go with this footprint idea. Two white footprints stand out against the dark background, with writing curved around them.
For an MLK Day connection, you could add your own sentence about a step you’ll take toward fairness.
bright painted peace sign
The orange and blue in this design are so pretty together. Red and purple patches fill the other areas around a white peace sign.
You don’t need to copy every patch of color. Let children choose their own combination while keeping the white lines visible.
be the change painted rock
Want something different from the hanging crafts? This black painted rock has pale lettering around a raised-fist symbol.
The short message reads “Be the change.”
You could place your own version beside a written promise to speak up against unfair treatment. Treat the message as a prompt, not a quotation from Dr. King.
folded-wing dove hanger
This little dove has an accordion-folded wing rising above its back. I love the dotted border and orange beak, with “I have a dream…” curved along the body.
A bordered writing card hangs underneath. For your version, you could use that space for a child’s own dream for a fairer world.
a blank cloud for your dream
Last but definitely not least, we have this simple dream-cloud page. The bold heading and big empty cloud leave plenty of room for a drawing or a few words.
If you don’t want to add lots of decoration, keep it just like this. Invite children to draw what a fairer world could look like.
Related stories