Kwanzaa Lesson Plans

• A Gift to Give - One of the traditional aspects of Kwanzaa is gift giving. In this activity, students choose an educational gift that they would like to give to a friend or family member for Kwanzaa.
• A Story for Kwanzaa - The student will be able to write a story about one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
• A Study of the Principles of Kwanzaa - Students use the Internet to find real life examples illustrating the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
• African Chants - The student will be able to work with other students to learn and perform an African chant.
• Celebrating Kwanzaa in the Community - In this lesson, students learn who their local civic and government leaders are and how to contact them. They work together in groups to interview their local leaders about Kwanzaa celebrations in the community.
• Collage of Kwanzaa Colors - In this activity, students make a collage using the colors of Kwanzaa. They work together to cut out different pictures that have the colors red, green, and black which are associated with the celebration.
• Invitations and Menus - Students are encouraged to be creative as they make an invitation and menu to celebrate the feast of Kwanzaa.
• Making Kwanzaa Placemats - In this patterning activity, students make placemats for Kwanzaa using the colors red, green, and black. They are encouraged to cover the entire placemat in alternating stripes of these colors.
• Ready for Kwanzaa - This is a multi-day project that gets your room ready for the celebration of Kwanzaa. Students use the traditional colors and other materials to create the symbols that represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
• Understanding & Creating Kwanzaa - Learn about Kwanzaa as a holdiay in the US and how it derives from Kwanza in Africa.
• Unity in Action - In this activity, students make a collage out of pictures that demonstrate unity, which is one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

More Lesson Plans From Other Sites

1. Class Quilt- This activity will promote acceptance of diversity within the classroom through the creation of a class quilt.
2. Habari Gani? -- What's the News?- Learn about Kwanzaa, the world's fastest growing holiday, with these activities and Internet links.
3. Kwanzza: An African-American Celebration- A thorough exploration of this holiday.
4. Kwanzaa Symbol Strips- Learn about Kwanzaa and traditional Adinkra weaving patterns used on Kente cloth.
5. Kwanzaaa, What Is It?- A college article.
6. Kwanzaa Recipes
7. Piece of Bread- Students will recognize that philanthropy is a vital part of the African American community.
8. The Whole World Celebrated Christmas! Right?- This lesson is for use during the weeks before the Christmas break. This will be great for middle school students. It is a comparison of the other religious holidays that are celebrated around this same time of year.