February is Black History Month! To celebrate this, I’ve put together several gross motor and fine motor ideas that you can use throughout the month to celebrate contributions of Black Americans to the United States.
While there are many Black Americans that have had large contributions to society, this post is going to go through just some of the ideas that you could use to celebrate Black History month in America. Let’s get started!
Black History Month Fine Motor Ideas
Let’s start off with some fine motor activity ideas that you can do to celebrate Black History Month!
Don’t forget if you are a Pink Oatmeal All-Access Pass Member you can download and use ALL of these resources for free as long as you maintain your membership!
Garret Morgan – Stoplight
Garrett Morgan is credited with inventing an early version of the traffic signal, which served as a predecessor to the modern stoplight. In 1923, Morgan patented his design for a three-position traffic signal.
The stoplight tearing and cutting activity is a great way to work on fine motor skills and talk about what Garret Morgan did for public safety!
Shirley Chisholm and Barak Obama – Patriotic Fine Motor Activities
Shirley Chisholm was an important figure in paving the way for future generations of women and Black Americans in politics. She was the first African American woman in Congress and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties in 1972.
Barak Obama is an American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. His time in office marked a historic moment in American history, as he was the first Black American elected to America’s highest office.
This is the perfect time to grab our FREE Patriotic Fine Motor Activities in the freebie library and put them to use during Black History Month. It’s a great opportunity to discuss these two great Americans and other Black Americans that have paved the way in American politics.
Rosa Parks – Bus Fine Motor Activities
Rosa Parks – On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest for violating segregation laws sparked a coordinated effort led by civil rights leaders to boycott the city’s buses. The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted for over a year, ultimately leading to a Supreme Court ruling in 1956 that declared segregation on public buses unconstitutional. She played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement.
Katherine Johnson and Mae Jemison – Space
Katherine Johnson was a pioneering mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the early years of the United States space program. Her precise calculations and mathematical skills were integral to the success of many space missions, earning her respect and recognition in a field dominated by men and segregation. Her contributions helped break down racial and gender barriers in science and technology.
Mae Jemison made history in 1992 as the first Black woman to travel into space. She has bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree! Post-NASA, Jemison has been involved in various fields, advocating for science education and encouraging underrepresented groups, especially girls and minorities, to pursue careers in science and technology. Her achievements, both in space and as a science advocate, have made her a respected figure and inspiration in the fields of STEM.
Sports – Jackie Robinson, Michael Jordan etc.
There are several sports figures that you can choose from that have broken down racial barriers and paved the way in American history.
Bessie Coleman – Airplanes
Bessie Coleman was an American aviator and the first Black woman to hold a pilot’s license. She specialized in stunt flying and barnstorming, thrilling audiences with her aerial acrobatics. Despite facing challenges due to racial segregation in the U.S., Coleman’s legacy paved the way for future African American aviators. Tragically, she died in a plane crash during a rehearsal in 1926 at the age of 34.
These are just a sampling of Black History Month fine motor activity ideas to get you started in incorporating fine motor activities into you celebration this month!
Black History Month Gross Motor Ideas
Let’s talk about some gross motor ideas to celebrate Black History Month!
Martin Luther King Jr. – was a prominent American civil rights leader and activist who played a crucial role in the American civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his role in advocating for racial equality and justice through nonviolent civil disobedience. He was assassinated in 1968, but his legacy lives on as a symbol of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and social justice.
The Hope Hop is a great option to celebrate MLK Jr. and his legacy. Use these printables as part of an obstacle course or in small segments of gross motor skills.
These printables are free to you and are part of our freebie library.
Space – We previously discussed Mae Jemison and Katherine Johnson’s contributions to space and science in the fine motor section. We can also incorporate a gross motor component to celebrate these pioneering women.
The space race is another fun game that is available in the Pink Oatmeal freebie library that you can use for gross motor skills!
RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT
Garret Morgan – In the fine motor section we discussed Garret Morgan and his contributions to the modern day stoplight.
A fantastic gross motor component would be playing the game red light green light.
In this game, your kid(s) line up in a line. When you say green light the kids run and when you say red light they stop.
This game doesn’t just have to be running. You can easily add any locomotor skill into the game. Instead of running have them skipping, leaping, galloping etc.
BALL SKILLS
To celebrate sports pioneers you can work on a variety of different ball skills. It can be as simple as catch and throw or you can use some of the ball ideas from below!
There is an entire section of the Pink Oatmeal video library dedicated to activities that use a ball! You must be an All-Access Pass holder or Video Library Pass holder to access this part of the website.
Another fun game that we have in the freebie library is the baseball measurement game! It’s great especially if you are talking about Jackie Robinson. In this game you measure the distance between bases. Your measurements are done in qualities such as how many times did you jump between first and second base! It’s a great way to work on locomotor skills!
PATRIOTIC
We discussed Barak Obama and Shirley Chisholm in the fine motor section as well as patriotic themed fine motor activities. Let’s talk about Patriotic themed gross motor activities!
There is an entire blog post dedicated to these different patriotic gross motor activities that you can check out!
Another great option is Patriotic Yoga. We have a set of FREE Patriotic Yoga Cards for you in the Pink Oatmeal Freebie Library.
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
The Wheels on the Bus is a fantastic action song that is perfect to celebrate Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Black History Month.
Adding an additional component, such as a freeze dance to the Wheels on the Bus gives another layer to your gross motor activity. The Kiboomers YouTube Channel as a Wheels on the Bus Freeze Dance.
These gross motor activities for Black History Month are a starting point to help you start incorporating motor skills to celebrate this month!