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Veterans Day is a special occasion where we honor and appreciate the brave men and women who have served in the military. How can we teach our young generation about the sacrifices made by veterans and the significance of this day?
In this post, we will explore engaging Veterans Day activities for elementary students that are ideal for children in kindergarten to second grade. From videos and books to hands-on art projects, these activities will help instill a sense of appreciation and gratitude for veterans. You can create lasting memories with your students while coming together as a community to honor our veterans.
Before diving into fun activities, it’s essential for elementary students to understand the significance of Veterans Day. Begin by teaching about the role of veterans. You can use short videos, books, and posters as teaching tools.
Remember to emphasize the importance of showing gratitude and appreciation to our heroes. Discuss the different ways in which students can express their gratitude, such as creating artwork, writing letters, or participating in community service projects. By understanding the significance of Veterans Day, students can better appreciate the activities that follow.
If you’re looking for free, no-prep teaching resources to add to your Veterans Day Lesson plans, here are some of my favorites. These quick videos are a great introduction to Veterans Day for kids.
While planning your Veterans Day activities for elementary students, pencil in some time for read alouds. Your students will enjoy hearing these stories about veterans and families, including animals in the military. These stories also help children view veterans as part of our community. Be sure to include time for students to share their connections. *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Here are some of my favorite Veterans Day Read Alouds:
Art projects are a creative and meaningful way to honor veterans while allowing students to express themselves. For this Veterans Day craft, students begin by choosing a veteran. You can print men and women on different shades of paper so children can choose the perfect skin tone. Then students select a uniform for their veteran. There are options for Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, and Coast Guard. This is a great way to review different branches of the military. Children can cut and glue their pieces or complete one of the coloring pages. The finished collection makes the perfect display to honor our veterans.
If you’re looking to save time, click here to grab everything you need to create this Veterans Day craft activity. It comes with craft templates, coloring pages, vocabulary posters, and writing options to fit your classroom. Keep on reading to learn more about adding writing to your plans. ⤵️
In addition to creating a veteran, children can add writing to their crafts by choosing one of the writing papers. Students can write facts about this important holiday or write thank you notes to veterans. You can send your notes to a local veteran’s home or send letters in envelopes to A Million Thanks. This organization was started by Shauna Fleming when she was just 15 years old! They have already collected almost 13 million letters and sent them abroad to our military.
If your students need a little extra support while writing, create a class list of ideas together. Be sure to hang the Veterans Day vocabulary posters so little ones can see important words. I also like to provide copies of Word Banks so students can begin finding words independently.
If you’re looking for more hands-on activities, your students will love creating and wearing veteran hats. Students can choose their favorite branch of the military and cut and color the front of their hats. Then staple or glue their pieces on a sentence strip. Finally, add the tag that reads “I salute our veterans.”
To teach your students about why the military salutes, check out this quick video called The Origins of the US Military Salute. Why We Salute.
I’m sharing everything you need to make these special hats with your students! They will be so excited to wear them as they honor and remember our veterans. Just add your email below and I’ll send them straight to your inbox. ⤵️
Above all, let us remember the importance of teaching our elementary students about Veterans Day. By engaging in fun and educational activities, we instill a sense of gratitude, empathy, and appreciation for the sacrifices made by our heroes.
Your students are fortunate to have a teacher who is always looking for engaging ways for them to learn about the word around them. These valuable lessons and activities will help students learn to honor veterans and grow into the next generation of leaders.
I’m a teacher who believes in creating a classroom kids love and activities that keep them engaged all day!
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