Crafts are a wonderful way to teach kids about important figures and their legacies. This I Have a Dream Handprint Craft is a creative and meaningful activity that celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of equality, hope, and big dreams. Featuring a combination of vibrant colors, your child or students handprints, and inspiring words from Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, this craft is perfect for classrooms, homes, or community activities.
With a free printable to guide you, this craft is easy to set up and serves as a beautiful reminder of Dr. King’s legacy.
Why You’ll Love This Handprint Craft
This activity is more than just a craft—it’s an opportunity to have meaningful conversations about Martin Luther King Jr., his dream for equality, and how kids can dream big, too. It’s engaging, educational, and leaves kids with a keepsake that’s both personal and inspiring.
Parents, teachers, and caregivers will appreciate how this craft combines art, history, and critical thinking, encouraging children to reflect on their own hopes for a better world.
Materials You’ll Need
- Free printable cup template (download below)
- Optional: Free printable inspirational words from Dr. King’s speech (download below)
- Construction paper in various colors
- Scissors
- Glue stick or school glue
- Markers or crayons
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Download and Print Templates
Download the free cup template and the printable with inspirational words from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Print them on sturdy paper for easier tracing and cutting. Alternatively, you and your students can come up with your own words that reflect the sentiment of Dr. King’s famous speech.
- Create the Handprints
Have your child choose their favorite color of construction paper or use the colors of a rainbow. Trace their hand on the paper and cut out the handprint. Repeat this step to create several handprints in different colors if desired.
- Prepare the Cup Base
Glue the free printable cup shape to another another piece of construction paper. Optional: Decorate the cup with markers, crayons, or even glitter to make it stand out.
- Add Inspirational Words
From the printable, cut out the words or phrases from Dr. King’s speech, such as “justice,” “freedom,” or “equality.” Glue these words onto the handprints, allowing kids to reflect on their meaning as they work.
- Assemble the Craft
Arrange the handprints in a arc shape to resemble a bouquet or steam coming out of the cup. Glue the bottom of each handprint to the back of the cup, ensuring they’re secure.
- Add Personal Messages
Encourage kids to write their own dreams or hopes for the future on the remaining space of the handprints or the cup.
How to Use This Craft to Teach About MLK Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is a powerful reminder of the importance of lifting each other up and building a world rooted in equality and kindness. The idea of “filling each other’s cup” aligns beautifully with his vision—it’s about supporting one another, showing compassion, and ensuring everyone feels valued. Just as Dr. King dreamed of a world where justice and love overflowed, we can inspire kids to think about how their actions—no matter how small—can brighten someone else’s day. This handprint craft symbolizes that collective effort, encouraging children to reflect on how they can contribute to a kinder, more inclusive world.
For Teachers
Use this activity as part of a lesson on Dr. King’s life and legacy. Discuss the significance of the “I Have a Dream” speech and how it inspired the civil rights movement. As students complete the craft, encourage them to share their dreams for a kinder, more inclusive world.
For Parents
At home, this craft provides an opportunity to talk about Dr. King’s values of kindness and equality. Ask your child how they can make a difference in their school or community, and help them connect these ideas to their everyday actions.
For Caregivers
This craft can be adapted for group settings, encouraging kids to work together while discussing what it means to dream big and treat others with respect.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
