Memorial Day for Kids {A Few Ideas}

Today, I want to share a few simple activities about Memorial Day for kids.  I hope you find my explanations and ideas helpful!

Why we celebrate Memorial Day:
For many, Memorial Day is looked at as a “kick-off” for summer — pools opening, school drawing to a close, and the finalizing of vacation plans.  At its roots, though, Memorial Day is meant to honor those who died while serving our country (for more history about this holiday, please refer to U.S. Memorial Day’s “Memorial Day History“).  

Why Memorial Day is important to me:
I come from a family of servicemen and women, as I’ve mentioned in the past.  My grandmother was a Marine recruiter, my grandfather served in both the Coast Guard and the Air Force, and my father is a retired Marine.  On top of that, each of my seven aunts and uncles have served (or still serve) in some branch of the military.  To say I was raised with an intelligent, patriotic, hard-working, and critical-thinking family is an understatement!  Appreciating , thinking about, and praying for our servicemen and women is something I do daily.  Engineer is also exposed to it quite a bit from me, my dad, and my step mom!

This painting has always moved me. Click here to read about the artist at Vietnam Reflections.

Memorial Day brings a sense of loss on top of the appreciation and prayers, though.  My dad’s older brother (the oldest of eight children) was killed in Vietnam ten years before I was even born.  While I never met him, he’s still been an important part of my life.  That may seem odd, but it’s true.  Engineer is actually named after my uncle who was killed in combat.

Activities to help children learn more about Memorial Day:
It can be difficult to talk to children about this holiday, I know.  It’s important to me, though, that Engineer understands what many people have given up to protect our country and our freedom.  Here are some things I’ve done with Engineer and my students in the past to broach the subject —

1. A Simple American Flag Craft can help set the groundwork when discussing America.  It lets the children get hands-on with our country’s flag and helps serve as a conversation starter when discussing Memorial Day.

2. Drawing Pictures for Marines (or other servicemen/women) can help connect the children with those actively serving our country today.

This is actually a picture of Engineer at my grandmother’s grave, which is right next to my uncle’s grave. The picture of Engineer at my uncle’s grave was blurry from the rain.

3. Visiting a family member’s grave gives children a chance to connect with family killed in battle.  This doesn’t need to be a morbid experience at all!  When we took a trip to California after Christmas, I “introduced” Engineer to the uncle he was named after.  For me, it was a way to celebrate my uncle’s life and show Engineer how important that uncle is to our family.  I got a lot out of the visit, but Engineer really did too!  He “talked” to my uncle, cleaned off his grave, and left flowers for him.  It was a meaningful visit for both of us.

4.  For MORE IDEAS, please check out my {Theme} America Pinterest board.  I’ll continue to update it as I find great Americana/patriotic activities for the kiddos!

What about you?  How do you explain the meaning behind Memorial Day to your children?  What activities have you done to connect them to this holiday?  I’d love it if you shared your thoughts and activities in the comment section below!

Shared at The Sunday Showcase