Women’s History Month Teaching Resources

By Paul Hobday / March 16, 2022

March is Women’s History Month and presents a terrific opportunity to teach your kids more about the impact women have had on history. Today we’re providing a variety of online resources you can use to build educational lessons in women’s history as well as highlighting children’s books by women authors. 

The History

Women’s History Month began in the US as a weeklong celebration in 1978 California, driven by the Education Task Force in Sonoma County. Two years later, President Carter made Women’s History Week officially the week of March 8th.

It would be another seven years of growing celebrations in March before the National Women’s History Project would successfully petition Congress to make March Women’s History Month. During that same era, the United Nations recognized March 8th as International Women’s Day. This singular day was meant to bring focus to women’s issues around the world. As of 2014, over 100 countries around the world recognize March 8th as International Women’s Day, celebrating women’s achievements and taking action against inequality.  

Teaching Women’s History

The first step in teaching your kids about Women’s History Month is to gather your own resources. There is a lot of history you could cover, but fortunately, there are also a variety of organizations that offer overviews and targeted details.

One resource, Womenshistory.org, provides historical information, biographies, and online galleries to supplement learning. Their resources page also includes a Toolkit for helping you kick off Women’s History Month with learning activities for each day of the month.

This year’s theme extends last year’s; Valiant Women of the Vote. Women’s History Month is focused on honoring the centennial of the Women’s Suffrage movement that brought voting rights to women in America.

This year’s theme is “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” which is a tribute to the “ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.” - https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2022-theme/ 

The National Women’s History Alliance hosts a great page specifically about this year’s theme. It includes details about centennial observances and a catalog of items you can purchase to help support the NWHA’s mission of advancing women’s rights and roles in society.

And when it comes to teaching a subject, the best resource is almost always teachers. The government’s Women’s History page features a long list of resources for teachers. 

Additional Resources

As Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day are observed annually, the stock of teaching resources continues to grow. While women impact modern history daily, we can all take the month of March to step back and learn a little (or a little more) about the history that has brought us to this place.

Read. Write. Think.

A part of the International Literacy Association, Read Write Think is a terrific resource for all kinds of learning. Their page dedicated to Women’s History Month includes plenty of classroom activities, more links to sites loaded with resources, and even some great grade-specific assignments.

Particularly if you’re teaching from home, the lesson plans on this page can be really helpful.

Ladies Of Lulu: Books For Women’s History Month

Meet amazing women authors we’re highlighting for Women’s History Month

Read More

Lakeshore Learning

If you’re more interested in developing your own lesson plan, Lakeshore Learning’s free resources page is for you. Download calendars, lesson planners, flashcard templates, and more all for free. 

You can use these free templates to help craft your own teaching plan for Women’s History Month. This is the perfect way to structure a lesson around a specific individual or even that might resonate with you, but doesn’t already have a place in existing teaching resources.

History Timeline

This one is a bit commercial, as it comes from history.com. Their timeline is loaded with important dates and figures for Women’s History Month. This timeline makes a good jumping-off point for learning more about historical events and figures.

President’s Report - Women In America

While this report is a few years old now (published originally in 2011), it’s an amazing look at data gathered by the US government about women and their role in America. While the report is a little dense for younger learners, using this report as a study guide or reading material for older students is a great idea.

Books For Kids 

A great way to celebrate Women’s History Month with your kids is reading books by women authors! Enjoy these books by women creators: 

Super Mom: A Children's Story About The Litter Monster

ALL MOMS ARE HEALERS, TEACHERS, AND SUPERHEROES Jimmy and Lily have a Super Mom, and every day with her is wonderful! She cooks pancakes, cures brain freezes, and makes sure they feel safe. But what happens when Lily makes a bad decision, and it comes back in the form of a giant, magical monster? SUPER MOM tells the story of a small family full of love and superheroes. It’s a kid’s adventure book, a story about growing up with everyday lessons. On a regular day out around town, Lily litters without thinking anything of it, and her actions have consequences. The next day, Lily’s birthday, Super Mom will have to defeat the Litter Monster to get everyone home safe and sound – just in time to have birthday cake! This book will inspire children while teaching them to pay attention to the world around them! It highlights the strengths of all moms out there and asks important questions to teach kids about what is right and wrong.

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Mommy as a Leader

This children's book teaches children about what it means to be a leader. Parents/guardians/loved ones are encouraged to read this book with children to discuss positive role models, leadership goals, and what it means to be a leader in a child's future.

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Positively Me!

Encourage your young girls with this beautiful coloring book! Remind them of all the reasons they're special while they color. This book features different affirmations that can be traced, written and colored. Your child can practice their handwriting while they build their self-confidence!

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Women’s History Beyond March

Finally, it’s important that we all acknowledge and honor the women who make the world a better place every day. March is a terrific opportunity to study and learn more, but that learning has to continue. 

The most valuable thing to instill in your students as you work through Women’s History Month is that national days and months are designed to call attention. But it’s on each of us to maintain that attention all year long.