Activities and Ideas for Veterans Day Lessons

Whether its peacetime or wartime, its always important to teach our students that Veterans Day means more than just a day off from school. Patriotism is a value that must be taught and modeled for our young students. By taking some time to give this sentiment even deeper meaning in your classroom around national holidays, you will be building the foundation for your young students to be proud and contributing citizens of our country. Veterans Day in the Classroom Here are a few ideas for introducing Veterans Day in the elementary school classroom: Ask the students what they think Veterans Day is for. Why is it important? What does the word veteran mean?Inquire if any students have any relatives or acquaintances that are veterans. Have they heard any first-person stories about wartime?If you live in a military town, give the students a chance to talk about any family members who are serving our country currently. Emphasize that they are heroes who will be honored during future Veterans Day celebrations after finishing their service.Share quality childrens literature as a starting point for a whole class discussion about the human experience of war. Possible titles include: Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee (for ages 4-8)The Wall by Eve Bunting (for ages 4-8)Veterans Day by Mir Tamim Ansary (for ages 4-8)Behind the Blue and Gray: The Soldiers Life in the Civil War by Delia Ray (for ages 9-12)Have the students imagine that they are away at war. Perhaps they could each write a fictional letter back home, telling friends and fami ly what it is like on the battlefront. Or they could write a page of an imaginary diary about their war experiences.Focus on the lives of heroes from Americas wars. George Washington and other famous veterans can serve as a powerful inspiration to young children.Invite a local veteran to speak to your class. Check if any of your students are related to veterans or contact your local veterans group for names and numbers. Additional Information and Inspiration All About Veterans Day An in-depth look at how the holiday came to be and even a short discussion of how veterans are honored in other countries.Department of Veterans Affairs Includes a special section for educators with school activities and cool stuff for kids.Veterans Day A few lesson ideas that will help get your pedagogical juices flowing.Veterans Day Spotlight This focus on Veterans Day includes timelines of major American wars and many other interesting pieces of information.