Martin Luther King Jr. Day Message: No More Prejudice!

Use this children’s message to help children understand unity in Jesus on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Message Preparation

Theme: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Text: Galatians 3:28
Best for: Grades K-6

Use masking tape to mark off an area that’s not quite large enough for all the children to sit in. Set three pillows in front of the masking tape area.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Message: No More Prejudice!

Say: Come on up kids, but don’t sit on the pillows. That’s the grown-up section. You can sit anywhere inside the tape line. Help children squeeze into the taped area.

Say: Let’s have three adults join us. Have the adults sit on the pillows.

Say: Sorry, it’s a little crowded for you kids, but I can’t let you sit in the grown-up section. Have more adults join you. Tell kids to stand to make room for adults in the taped area. Then tell a few children to stand behind the taped area.

Ask:

• How did you feel when you couldn’t sit on the pillows?
• How did you feel when you had to give up your seat in the taped area?

Say: What you’ve just experienced happened to African American people all the time in the 1950s. They had to sit in separate areas, drink from separate drinking fountains, and go to separate schools—just because of their skin color.

Say: But then a man named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped change our nation’s laws so Black people could be treated fairly. Dr. King was a pastor, and he knew that Jesus loves Black people, white people, and people of all races.

Read Galatians 3:28.

Say: Let’s rip up our tape line and join hands in a circle to show Jesus made a way for all people to be close to God and each other. Remove the tape, form a circle, and close in prayer.

Looking for even more wonderful Martin Luther King Jr. Day ideas? Check out all our MLK Day posts.