While the difficulties of the segregation era and the full significance of his role in bringing it to an end may be difficult for young children to understand, there are some aspects of Dr. King’s message that you can communicate with your children. They will be able to relate to the fact that he stood for fairness for everyone.

Here are a few conversation starters to share with your child:

Question: How do you feel when people are not nice to you?

Connection: Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who dreamed of a time when people everywhere would learn to live together without being mean to one another.

Question: What do you think is the best thing to do when someone makes you angry?

Connection: Martin Luther King, Jr. used peaceful methods to make the world a better place in which to live. 

Of course, literature is one of the most powerful ways you have to communicate important messages to your children. The book, Martin’s Big Words, written by Doreen Rappaport and strikingly illustrated by Bryan Collier is an award-winning picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Doreen Rappaport has taken actual words from Dr. King’s speeches to show how he led the movement for equal rights. (Ages 4 and older)