Veteran's Day Activities for Kids
10 November 2009
Learn a little about the history of Veteran's Day and come up with some creative Veteran's Day activities for your kids!
Veteran’s Day is a relatively new holiday in comparison to Christmas, New Year’s Day and many others. It was first celebrated in 1918 as Armistice Day, the celebration was for the peace that the end of World War I brought. According to the Military.com website, Veteran’s Day was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.” In 1954 the 83rd United States Congress officially changed the name to Veteran’s Day to honor and remember veterans from all wars, past and present that had been fought by our country and to celebrate the peace that has since resulted.
There have been small changes through the years to the date that we celebrate this holiday, but the way we celebrate it has remained consistent. Usually we celebrate with speeches, ceremonies and a moment of silence to remember all veterans who fought for peace on our behalf at 11:00 am on November 11th. The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed in April 1918, signaled the end of WWI would begin on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11am.
Help your children understand the importance of honoring our veterans by talking to them about the sacrifices their family members have made on their behalf. My husband, father, grandfather and many uncles and great uncles have served in many of the wars our country fought in, so I’ve got plenty of information to share with my child. If you don’t have any family members around to talk to your child, search the internet for a Veteran’s Group in your area and arrange for a Veteran to come to your child’s school and speak about being a Veteran. You can also learn patriotic songs like America, God Bless America or I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy; just a few among many, and sing them together on Veteran’s day.
Creating crafts for Veteran’s Day can be as simple as working with your child to make some patriotic based cards and posters that say thank you. Thanking a veteran for their service to our country is one of the easiest and most meaningful ways to honor them. Take your cards to a veterans group in your area and ask for addresses where the cards can be sent or stop by at their meeting place on Veteran’s Day and hand them out with your child together. When your child sees the appreciation on an older Veteran’s face when she thanks them in person, you’ll want to make cards for them every year.
These Veteran's Day activities are just a few of the ways to honor those who have served our country. But you don’t have to wait until Veterans Day to celebrate a veteran; you can honor a veteran every day by saying, “thank you” when you see a soldier in uniform! Or simply say a prayer for those that continue to serve today.