During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Initiated by Congress in 1968, Martin Luther King Day builds by honoring his teachings of nonviolence and social justice.

To integrate Dr. King’s principles of service into our theme, we decided to make friendship bags for our friends. Teaching preschoolers about friendship prepares them for success in kindergarten and beyond.

Making friends is a learned skill and takes practice. For this activity, each student drew a picture for each classmate, and under that picture, noted something nice about their friend.