10+ Interesting Maya Angelou Facts For Kids

How much do you know about Maya Angelou? Most of us know she was an American author, poet, and civil rights activist, but did you know she was the first black female streetcar conductor too?

We are sharing Maya Angelou interesting facts coloring pages, so your kiddo can have fun coloring as they learn about this phenomenal woman. Bring out the crayons!

10 Maya Angelou Facts For Kids

Maya Angelou is best known for her books, especially her first autobiography and most famous work, “I know why the caged bird sings,” which tells of her difficult childhood and early adult experiences. But there’s so much more to learn about her!

1. Maya Angelou was a writer, poet, actress, and was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. 
2. Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri, and died on May 28, 2014.
3. Her grandmother, Annie Henderson, taught Maya and her brother how to read.
4. She spoke six languages: English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Italian, and Fanthe (Ghanian dialect of Akan).
5. She was an author and poet, publishing seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry. 

6. Maya Angelou was the first black woman director in Hollywood.
7. In the early 1960s Angelou lived in Egypt and Ghana.
8. When she returned to the United States in 1965, she helped Malcolm X develop the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
9. Bill Clinton asked Angelou to write a poem for his presidential inauguration in 1993.
10. In 2011 President Barack Obama gave Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest nonmilitary honor.

Download Maya Angelou Facts Coloring Pages PDF

Maya Angelou Facts Coloring Pages

Because we know you love facts, here are 6 more facts about Maya Angelou that you’ll love to learn about:

11. When she recited her poem “On the pulse of morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, she became the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy.
12. She’s a three-time Grammy Award winner for her spoken-word albums, has received more than 30 honorary degrees, the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton, a Pulitzer prize, a Tony Award nomination, and lots more awards during her acting and writing career.
13. In 2022, she became the first African American woman to appear on a quarter coin.
14. Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou became really close friends for years.
15. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the same day as Maya Angelou’s 40th birthday, so she refused to celebrate her birthday for years. 
16. Angelou’s older brother, Bailey Jr., gave her childhood nickname “Maya”, and around 1950, when she was a calypso dancer, she changed her name from Marguerite Johnson to Maya Angelou.

HOW TO COLOR THESE Printable Maya angelou FACTS FOR KIDS COLORING PAGES

Take time to read each fact and then color the picture next to the fact. Each picture will correlate with the Maya Angelou fact.

You can use crayons, pencils, or even markers if you want to.

COLORING SUPPLIES RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR Maya Angelou FACTS FOR KIDS COLORING PAGES

MORE HISTORY FACTS FROM KIDS ACTIVITIES BLOG:

Did you learn anything new from the facts list about Maya Angelou?