Today we kick-off Black History Month 2023 and many parents may be looking for activities to celebrate the month with their kids. Well, don’t fret, we got you covered! According parenting educator, author, and mother of two, Britt Hawthorne, here are activities by age for children to celebrate Black History Month.
Children 0-3-years-old
Make a hands and feet mural with skin tone paint
Usually, Black children cannot find just the right shade of paint/crayons to perfectly match their own skin tones. Therefore, Hawthorne suggests to create your own! Once the perfect match is achieved, create a mural of hands and feet that will last a lifetime. Mom and dad can join in the painting fun too!
For step-by-step instructions on how to create your own skin tone paint, click here. And the bonus, it is washable!
Learn the history of the HBCU Drumline by making your own!
The HBCU Drumline is the center of one of the most fascinating traditions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The history of the drumline is filled with exciting choreography and musical arrangements that only the few and proud can master. Teach your children about the history of the drumline and then have them create their own drum! It’s never to early to groom new blood for the line!
Children 4-7-years-old
Curate your own Black History Month Playlist
The Black community has had and has a plethora of artists who have made and are still making their marks on the world. Teach children about the greats such as Ben E. King, Sam Cooke, Etta James, Bill Withers, Prince, among others, while adding those present-day artists such as Beyonce, Rhianna, Bruno Mars, John Legend, etc. into the mix. Pick a couple of songs from each and create your own Black History Month 2023 Playlist! Post it on social media to share with others.
Discover your dream
When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream Speech,” his dream not only encompassed his own four children, but those for generations to come. Walk through what your children’s dreams entail for their futures and see how you can help walk them towards achieving their goals. You can use this resource to help.
Children 8-years-old and up
Create a book club and read books written by Black authors
There are so many great books written by Black authors for all age groups. Pick out a few books and have a weekly book club. Read during the week and discuss on the weekend! Book discussions can take place over dinner at home, in a coffee shop, a park, the ideas for fun with this one are limitless. Check out this list of great books that you an make your choices from for the pre-teen and older crowd.
Learn About Black Inventors
There are tons of Black inventors that many don’t even know. Start with those from the past such as Madame CJ Walker, Frederick McKinley Jones, Lewis Latimer, Marie Van Brittan Brown, etc. Then, move towards the present and include inventors like Lonnie Johnson, who invented everyone’s favorite water blaster…the Super Soaker.
Want to keep adding to your list of things to do? Check out Hawthorne’s complete list of activities by age for children to celebrate Black History Month. Whatever you end up doing to celebrate the month, have fun doing it!
