Things to Do with Kids on Martin Luther King Jr Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers a valuable opportunity to educate and engage children in the principles of equality, justice, and community service. When kids are off from school, it’s a great opportunity to spend quality time together and explore fun activities that keep them engaged and entertained. Here are some creative and educational ideas to make the most of their time off:

1. Outdoor Adventures

Get hands-on at Cedar Run: Join them for exciting science experiments, hikes, animal encounters and more! K-5th grade. Space is limited to 20 children per group. Children should dress for the weather and plan on spending the entire time outdoors.1:00-4:00pm. $35/child. Members save 10%! Advanced registration required.

Family friendly ski resorts are open! Here's our guide to outdoors Winter Fun, Skiing, Snowboarding and Snowtubing

2. Educational Exploration

Go see a Planetarium Show! RVCC Planetarium has public shows running on January 18th that run for 45-60 minutes. In addition to the show itself, they have a small exhibit area and a gift shop with books, toys, and, of course, Astronaut ice cream.

Visit Spark! Lab @ Morris Museum. It's the perfect winter outing. They're open Wed - Sun Noon - 4pm. Build, problem-solve, and create to overcome real-world obstacles. Enjoy many unique, project-specific stations, where inventors can engage directly with engineering and design challenges.

Digging Dinosaurs Family Tour at the Morris Museum through Jan 30, 2025.

Community Day Martin Luther King Jr. at Newark Museum: On this MLK Jr. Day, we come together to celebrate the life, vision, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme Stronger Together reflects our shared commitment to working hand in hand across communities through service, where love triumphs over hate, peace over conflict, and unity over division—because we are truly Stronger Together.

Visit a museum! Here's our guide to explore FREE Museum Days For Kids In And Around NJ (or real cheap finds)! AND other Family Friendly Museums.

3. Creative Arts and Crafts

Encourage creativity with DIY crafts like making friendship bracelets, painting, or creating sculptures using clay or playdough.School is out but fun is in at The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts. Grab your friends and spend some time at the Education Annex between 11am and 3pm on Monday, January 20 to make friendship bracelets. The Museum will also be open from 10am-4pm. $5/child, $10/family, free for members. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

All Children’s Art Center hosts a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Camp on January 20th! A day packed with slime, arts, talent shows, and dancing awaits your little ones. Register here.

4. Sports and Physical Activities

Organize a mini sports day with activities like relay races, soccer, or basketball. Award small prizes to keep motivation high.

Girl Scout Daisies-Ambassadors: Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with your family, friends, and Girl Scouts at the Coretta Scott King Classic women’s college basketball doubleheader games at Prudential Center in Newark on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. This inaugural event will host four prestigious women’s sports programs from Baylor University, University of Maryland, University of Texas at Austin, and University of California, Los Angeles.

SnowBoarding at Big Snow! Stay cool and brush up on skiing or snowboarding! Big Snow is a ski resort in Rutherford, NJ. Learn more about Snow Pass, Snow Play and Tubing. Get the SnoPass.

Special MLK Day Open Swim at Five Star Swim Schools. Locations throughout NJ. Here are some: Cherry Hill, Deptford and Galloway.

Winterfest Ice Skating at Cooper River Park presented by the Camden County Board of Commissioners will open from on Martin Luther King Day from 12-9pm. Located at Cooper River Park near the corner of Cuthbert Blvd. and Park Avenue in Cherry Hill.

5. Cooking and Baking

Bake Together: Choose a simple recipe and bake cookies, cupcakes, or bread together. Decorating the final product can be a fun way to express creativity. Cooking Challenge: Let kids choose ingredients and create their own unique dishes, fostering independence and culinary skills.

Kings Cooking Studio has cooking classes for kids! Bake up something good!

Candyland Crafts hosts a Kids & Teen Cooking Mini Camp: During this 1.5 hour children will decorate 6 cookies each . They will go over piping, flooding and decorating using Royal Icing . All supplies are included . Ages 8 and up.

6. Visit the Zoo animals!

Turtle Back Zoo welcomes visitors throughout the winter. Have a fun filled day and explore their galleries. Plus NJ Camp Fairs will be hosting a fair on January 25th right inside the Berson Family Center (Learning Center).

7. Explore a Summer Camp.

Liberty Lake Day Camp has a MLK Tour Day on January 20, 2025, 11am-3pm

Explore other camps and scan through our Summer Camp Directory - summer camps are registering now and have early bird specials!

8. Reading and Storytelling

Storytelling Session: Encourage kids to create their own stories and share them with the family. Use props or costumes for an extra element of fun.

Edison Library-North Edison Branch hosts Toddler Tales. Children and their caregivers will use musical instruments in this fun-filled half-hour story time that includes books, rhymes and songs! Open to children ages 2 - 5 and their caregivers. Registration not required. Call or visit the library with any questions.

Read and Explore: Gingerbread Man @ Terhune Orchards on Jan 18, 2025. They have weekly and monthly programs.

9. Enjoy a Meal-For FREE!

MLK Day - Kids Eat Free at Chevy’s Fresh Mex Clifton and Linden

Here's our guide to other Kids Eat Free restaurants.

These activities not only keep children entertained but also help them learn new skills and discover their interests. Whether indoors or outdoors, there are endless possibilities to make school breaks enjoyable and memorable for the whole family.

10. RSVP for the upcoming 2025 Summer Camp Fairs

Starts January 25 - March 1. There will be 7 fairs throughout North and Central Jersey. Meet camp directors from all sorts of summer camps including sleepaway, traditional day and specialty camps (arts, STEM, science, sports, theater, academic and more). Don't get left behind, reserve your spot, and enjoy early bird savings. Link to camp fairs.