Kwanzaa Activities

Celebrate Hanukkah with your entire class! With these engaging activities, students will learn about the Seven Candles for Kwanzaa. A brief history on Kwanzaa is also given.

"Kwanzaa activities contains a literature-based teaching unit together with creative art projects and activities that educate and inspire students as they learn more about" the Kwanzaa holiday.

Celebrate Kwanzaa with your entire class! With these engaging activities, students will create a mini-book, and have a class celebration to help explain the ideas behind this important holiday.

Celebrate Kwanzaa with your entire class! With these engaging activities, students will celebrate Kwanzaa with bulletin board patterns and learn how to create a mini Mkeka through these themed print outs and activities.

Since 1966, Kwanzaa has been celebrated as a black holiday tradition – an annual recognition of cultural pride in the African American community. But how did this holiday originate, and what is its broader cultural significance? Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition explores the political beginning and later expansion of Kwanzaa, from its start as a Black Power holiday, to its current place as one of the most mainstream of the black holiday traditions. For those wanting to learn more about this alternative observance practiced by countless African Americans and how Kwanzaa fits into the larger black holiday tradition, Keith A. Mayes gives an accessible and definitive account of the movements and individuals that pushed to make this annual celebration a reality, and shows how African-Americans brought the black freedom struggle to the American calendar. Clear and thoughtful, Kwanzaa is the perfect introduction to what is now the quintessential African American holiday.

Teach children all about the ancient holiday from Africa!

Kwanzaa Songs for Everyone is a unique collection of music and poetry that celebrates the spirit of Kwanzaa. Set to familiar holiday tunes, these songs have all new lyrics and are expressed with a distinctive cultural flavor. The word Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili language and means the first fruits of harvest. It is celebrated during the seven-day period from December 26 to January 1. Kwanzaa is a unique cultural event that pays homage to the past, present, and future of African Americans. It has no religious connotations nor does it attempt to replace or substitute for Christmas, or any religious beliefs or observations. The reason why Kwanzaa came to be is simple: Until the creation of Kwanzaa by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, African Americans did not have a specific occasion to universally celebrate our culture. Kwanzaa incorporates African heritage into the festivities of the winter solstice and holiday season. After over forty years, practice, Kwanzaa is now celebrated by millions of people thorough out America, the African Diaspora, and all over the world. The seven principles of Kwanzaa promote family values, cultural enlightenment, and the growth of a cooperative community spirit, collective economic opportunities, community strength, family cohesiveness and progressive individual expression. The ultimate goal of Kwanzaa is that the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles, become a living part of the individual and community until they are practiced every day of the year.

Celebrate Kwanzaa with your entire class! With these engaging activities, students will learn about the history of Kwanzaa while completing these themed activities and games.