Every school year, students and teachers are excited to have a long weekend at the end of May to celebrate Memorial Day. That weekend is also considered the unofficial start of summer. With all the excitement about winding down the school year and starting summer, it’s easy to forget the real reason behind the holiday. Before the long weekend, take some time to ensure your students understand what Memorial Day is and why it’s important. Here are 5 ways to honor Memorial Day with your students.
- Share some videos. The videos below are short enough to hold your kiddo’s attention yet still provide them with the necessary information to understand what Memorial Day is all about. Click on each video to share with your class.
2. Read books. The following books are my favorites for younger students. They help them understand the sacrifices made by soldiers and their families. I have included links to read alouds of these books on YouTube in case you are not able to secure a copy. Click on the picture of the book for the read aloud.
A young boy and his father visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “A sensitive and moving picture book, and a great discussion book as well.” — School Library Journal, starred review Google Books
Lots of information about the history and symbols of Memorial Day. This is a link to Epic Books. You can sign up for a free account to share this story with your class.
From Amazon.com – “Every Memorial Day in Washington, DC, more than a million veterans and their supporters gather for the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom, a demonstration that pays tribute to the men and women of the US armed forces. This lyrical story honors the bravery and sacrifice of those American heroes — the ones who have returned home, and the ones who haven’t.”
This book written by First Lady Jill Biden acknowledges the sacrifices made by families of men and women who are away at war. It’s told through the eyes of a child.
The story Moina Belle Michael, a schoolteacher from Georgia who, during World War I, worked to establish the red poppy as a way to honor fallen soliders. The red poppy is a symbol that is still used today.
After reading The Poppy Lady, why not have your students create their own poppies? Click here for directions on how to make this simple craft.
3. Send a letter or care package to a soldier deployed overseas. Do a little detective work to find an organization in your area that sends pacakges to soldiers. Reach out to find out what they need and how to send it. Send a note home with students asking for donations. Make sure you collect the items that have been requested. Even if they seem odd to you, there is a reason they are asking for them. Find out if it is ok to include artwork and letters from students. Here is a link to my free letter writing template on Teachers Pay Teachers.
The United States Postal service offers a free military care kit. It comes with 6 boxes, tape and labels. Get it here.
4. Invite local veterans to share their stories. Have an assembly in their honor. The second grade students in my school put on an American Fair every year the day before Memorial Day break. The students dress in red, white and blue. They sing patriotic songs and share the history of Memorial Day. The auditeria is decortated with poetry and crafts honoring the military. Local veterans are invited to attend and are presented with letters of thanks. Read this article about how another school honors their local veterans.
Along with or in place of the letters of thanks, have your students create a word cloud to present to their honored guests. This is a fun and creative way for students to express themselves and share what they know about a topic. Together with your class, brainstorm a list of as many words as possible to include in the word clouds. Then have students go to one of these sites to create them:
Wordart.com – Create and customize a word cloud with different shapes, fonts, layouts and colors.
Wordclouds.com – Another site that allows you to choose different shapes and styles. You can even upload your own shape.
ABCya Word Cloud Generator – An easy to use app to create word clouds.
5. Have students complete Memorial Day activities in class. This Google Slides resource includes differentiated math and literacy activities that focus on Memorial Day. Students can work on it throughout the week or even at home during the break. Click here to check it out.
Here are a few of the pages included in this resource:
These are just a few of the ways to honor the military for the sacrifices they have made for our freedoms. Thank you for all you do for your students. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend. And remember to a few moments to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
