7 Classroom activities to celebrate Malala Day with your students

Every July 12, schools around the world recognize Malala Day, a day honoring Malala Yousafzai’s fight for the right to education. For many students, Malala’s story is their first introduction to the idea that going to school is not a guarantee for every child, and that young people have the power to drive real change.

Whether you’re looking for a single lesson to mark the occasion or a full week of cross-curricular activities, Malala Day offers a rich starting point. It connects naturally to social studies, English Language Arts (ELA), critical thinking, and communication skills, making it a topic that fits into almost any part of your curriculum.

The activities below are designed primarily for elementary classrooms but include adaptations and extensions for middle and high school teachers. You’ll also find a dedicated section at the end for exploring ClickView’s I Am Malala study resources with older students.

Why Malala Day matters for your classroom

Named in honor of Malala Yousafzai, Malala Day falls on her birthday, July 12. In 2013, the United Nations (UN) declared the date Malala Day after Malala delivered a powerful speech in New York advocating for the equity of education around the world.

Malala’s story began when she was just 11 years old and started documenting her fears growing up as a young girl in Taliban-ruled Pakistan. The Taliban placed extreme restrictions on her village, including banning girls from attending school. When Malala was 15, the Taliban attempted to assassinate her. She survived, capturing the world’s attention, and went on to become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17.

Today, Malala continues to use her platform to fight for the right to education for all young people, and the Malala Fund works specifically to fund education for girls worldwide. Her story is deeply relevant for students across grade levels, offering a springboard for conversations about courage, equity, and the value of learning.

7 classroom activities for Malala Day

1) Discover Malala’s story through video

Before diving into activities, students need context. A short, engaging video is one of the best ways to introduce Malala and her story in an age-appropriate way.

Start with ClickView’s Malala Yousafzai: Critical Thinking video from the Global Icons series (Grades 2-5, two minutes). This clip introduces who Malala is and how critical thinking shaped her journey. It’s short enough to fit into any lesson and gives students a shared foundation for the activities that follow.

To add geographic context, pair it with Asian Countries: Mongolia and Pakistan so students can better understand the setting of Malala’s story.

How to use it:

• Play the video at the start of your Malala Day lesson or unit
• Pause at key moments to check for understanding: What did Malala stand up for? Why was going to school dangerous in her village?
• After watching, ask students to share one thing they learned and one question they still have

Grade tip: For younger students (Grades K-2), focus the discussion on the idea that not all children get to go to school. For older students (Grades 3-5), prompt them to consider why someone would risk their safety for education.

2) Think critically, just like Malala

Malala’s story is full of moments where different choices could have led to very different outcomes. This makes it a perfect case study for practicing critical thinking skills in the classroom.

After watching Malala Yousafzai: Critical Thinking, guide students through a discussion about how Malala used critical thinking throughout her life. Then challenge them with this question: How would Malala’s story be different if she hadn’t used critical thinking skills?

How to run the activity:

• Have students identify key moments in Malala’s life where different choices could have led to different outcomes. Consider how those choices impacted not only her life, but also the lives of others
• As a class, discuss the range of possibilities, including positive and negative outcomes, easier and more difficult choices, and the effect that other people’s opinions can have on our decisions
• Close by discussing the importance of making choices, as well as what students have control over in their own lives, what they have a say in, and what they have no control over

This activity works well across Grades 2-5 and connects naturally to SEL (social-emotional learning) conversations about agency and decision-making.

3) Practice communication and advocacy skills

Effective leaders like Malala are great communicators and collaborators. This activity draws on that idea, asking students to develop their own advocacy messages, just like Malala did when she addressed the United Nations.

Start with one of these ClickView videos to build communication skills:

• How Having Good Social Skills Helps You Collaborate (Grades 3-5, one minute)
• Craft Clear Messages (Grades 3-5, two minutes)

Then ask students: How can you change the world?

How to run the activity:

• Brainstorm ideas together as a class, such as keeping the Earth clean, treating people with kindness, or establishing equity in schools
• Students write a short speech about their chosen cause, working individually, in pairs, or as a whole class
• Have students present their speeches to school administrators, families, or other classes
• For an extension, students can write a letter or speech addressed to a specific audience, such as a local government representative, the US President, or the United Nations

What matters here is the process of identifying something worth fighting for and finding the words to say why it matters.

4) Hold a mock interview with Malala

This activity combines research, questioning, and creativity. Students prepare and conduct a mock interview with Malala (and optionally her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai), building both their inquiry skills and their understanding of her story.

Before starting, watch ClickView’s Ask Deeper Questions (Grades K-4, three minutes) to help students move beyond surface-level questions. You can also use the Funnel Question Technique video (Grades K-5, one minute) to teach students how to narrow their focus from broad topics to specific details.

How to run the activity:

• Students research Malala’s life using the ClickView videos, classroom books, or teacher-approved online sources
• Each student (or pair) writes a series of interview questions they would ask Malala
• Students then imagine what Malala’s answers would be, based on their research
• Role play the interviews in class, with one student playing the role of the interviewer and another playing Malala
• Discuss as a class: Which questions led to the most interesting answers? What did you learn about Malala that surprised you?

Grade tip: Younger students (Grades K-2) can work as a class to generate questions together. Older students (Grades 3-5) can work independently and present their interviews as performances.

5) Explore education as a human right

Malala Day is a natural entry point for discussing why education and gender equality matter on a global scale. The UN created both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals, which outline children’s rights to education and equality.

ClickView has several videos that make these big concepts accessible for elementary students:

• All About the United Nations (Grades K-5, 19 minutes) introduces the UN and its role in promoting world peace
• Global Goal 04: Quality Education (Grades 2-5, four minutes) explores why education is a human right
• Global Goal 05: Gender Equality (Grades 2-5, four minutes) explains why equal access matters

You can also use the Let’s Talk about Education video to spark a direct discussion about education as a human right.

How to run the activity:

• Watch one or two of the videos above, depending on your available class time
• As a class, discuss: Why is going to school important? What happens when children don’t have access to education? Why do you think some children, especially girls, are still not allowed to go to school in some parts of the world?
• Have students create a T-chart comparing their own school experience with what they’ve learned about education access in other countries

This activity pairs well with Activity 6 below, where students brainstorm solutions.

6) Brainstorm ways to make education accessible

After learning about the challenges, give students the chance to think about solutions. This activity builds on the previous one and taps into students’ natural desire to help.

Start with ClickView’s Education video from the Spot and Stripe series (Grades K-5, 54 seconds) for a quick, engaging introduction. Then use Brainstorming (Grades 2-5, one minute) or Brainstorming Topics (Grades 2-5, two minutes) to teach or review the brainstorming process.

How to run the activity:

• Ask students: If you were in charge, what would you do to make sure every child could go to school?
• Give students time to brainstorm individually, then share ideas in small groups
• Each group selects their top two or three ideas to present to the class
• Create a class “action wall” displaying all the ideas

Extension: For older students, connect this to the concept of future education. ClickView’s Education video from The Fourth Industrial Revolution series (Grades 2-5, three minutes) explores what education might look like in 2030, featuring insight from expert Sugata Mitra. Students can discuss how technology and innovation might help solve education inequality.

7) Create infographics about education inequality

This activity combines research, data literacy, and visual communication. Students create infographics to raise awareness of educational inequality, a skill that connects directly to Malala’s own advocacy work.

Watch Data and Infographics to learn about what infographics are and how they display researched information in a visual format.

How to run the activity:

• Discuss as a class: What information would be important to include in an infographic about education inequality?
• Students research specific data points, such as how many children worldwide are not in school, where girls face the biggest barriers, or how education access has changed over time
• Using poster paper or a digital tool, students create their infographics, including at least three data points and one call to action
• Display the infographics in the classroom, hallway, or school library to raise awareness beyond the classroom

This activity connects to math (data interpretation), ELA (persuasive writing), and social studies standards.

For middle and high school: dive deeper with I Am Malala

While the activities above focus on elementary classrooms, Malala Day is just as powerful for older students. ClickView’s I Am Malala topic resources provide a structured way to explore her autobiography with middle and high school classes.

Study the autobiography

ClickView’s Nailing Non-Fiction: Malala Yousafzai – I Am Malala series offers a full study of the text, including:

• A Plot Summary covering the entire book (13 minutes)
• Chapter-by-chapter summaries for Part 1: Before the Taliban (Chapters 1-8), Part 2: The Valley of Death (Chapters 9-15), and Part 3: Three Girls, Three Bullets (Chapters 16-20)

These work as pre-reading introductions, revision aids, or scaffolds for students who need support with the text.

Discussion starters:

• How does Malala’s voice as a narrator change across the three parts of the book?
• Why does the autobiography begin with the prologue? What effect does that have on the reader?

Explore themes of conflict, peace, and children’s rights

I Am Malala connects to several rich themes that suit classroom discussion and essay writing. ClickView provides videos to support each one:

• Conflict and peace: Why Is Peace Difficult? from the Think like a Global Citizen series invites students to consider the complexities of achieving peace
• Education and gender equality: Goal 04: Quality Education and Goal 05: Gender Equality from the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Senior) series offer a more advanced look at these global issues
• Children’s rights: The Evolution of Child Rights provides a 17-minute overview spanning the Industrial Revolution to present-day challenges, including child labor and child soldiers

These videos pair well with essay prompts, Socratic seminars, or compare-and-contrast activities connecting Malala’s experience to broader historical patterns.

Connect to literature through Malala’s story

For ELA classes, I Am Malala opens the door to exploring the autobiography and memoir genre. ClickView’s Autobiography and Memoir video (three minutes) explains what the two genres share in common and how they differ.

Activity idea: Have students read selected chapters from I Am Malala and then write a short memoir piece about a time they stood up for something they believed in. This connects Malala’s experience to students’ own lives while building personal narrative writing skills.

For a broader look at global changemakers, pair Malala’s story with videos about other Nobel Peace Prize winners and global icons, such as Nelson Mandela: Respect for Difference or Wangari Maathai: Global Mindedness. Students can compare the leadership approaches of these figures and discuss what they have in common.

Elementary tie-in: For younger students, there are several picture books that complement the video resources and deepen understanding of Malala’s story, including Malala’s Magic Pencil, I Am Malala Yousafzai, and For the Right to Learn.

Tips for ongoing integration

Malala Day doesn’t have to be a single-day event. Here are a few ways to weave these themes into your teaching throughout the year:

• Connect to other observances: Link Malala Day to the International Day of Education (January 24) or International Women’s Day (March 8) for a recurring thread across the school year
• Build a “changemakers” unit: Use Malala as the starting point for a broader study leaders who have made a difference in the world, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Greta Thunberg or Oprah Winfrey
• Revisit the action wall: If students created brainstorming ideas or infographics, revisit them later in the year to check on progress or add new ideas
• Encourage independent reading: Stock your classroom library with age-appropriate books about Malala and other global advocates, and give students time to explore them

The most powerful takeaway from Malala’s story is not just what she did, but the idea that one voice, even a young one, has the power to change things. That’s a message worth revisiting all year long.

Sources

1. Malala Fund (2025). Available at: https://malala.org (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
2. United Nations (2013). ‘Malala Day – 12 July’. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/events/malaladay/ (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
3. Nobel Prize (2014). ‘Malala Yousafzai – Facts’. Available at: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2014/yousafzai/facts/ (Accessed: 30 April 2026).