Free Resources for Learning About Memorial Day

These free resources for learning about Memorial Day can help your kids learn about this important holiday. Discover why we acknowledge this day as one of our country’s most important days of the year.

Memorial Day

Many kids can care less about the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. All they know is that it’s a fun holiday for families to enjoy.

Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day can mean nothing more to them than barbeques and family time. These are definitely a fun part of the day, but knowing the meaning behind why we celebrate is essential.

I am a United States Navy veteran and was on active duty during the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Our base received injured active duty members from the war in our fleet hospital.

We received many injuries, but what if they never made it there? That would have been the bad news. Getting care was something we were honored to give these service members.

What is Memorial Day?

Memorial Day commemorates the service members, men, and women, who have died while in the military service in our country. The day particularly remembers those who have died during battle or as a result of wounds they may have sustained during battle. They have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day:

Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. Or maybe, they know when they are on the calendar, but aren’t quite sure how to distinguish between the purpose of the two.

1. The main difference between memorial Day and Veteran’s Day is that Veteran’s Day is for ALL service members – both living and dead.

Memorial Day is about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country with their life. We remember them because they are no longer with us.

2. Veteran’s Day is the specific day we observe service members in general. Yet, Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day for the act of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers from the Civil War.

3. The last day of May is reserved for Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day is November 11th of each year.

What should kids know about Memorial Day?

The most important thing for our kids to know is that we should remember the American soldiers that die in battle or from battle wounds in battles. They made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and they should be respected and commemorated for their bravery.

Secondary to that information, kids can also learn about Memorial Day customs.

Here are a few Memorial Day customs and traditions that your kids can learn about:

• The American flag is flown at half-staff until noon to show respect to our fallen soldiers.
• The flag is also raised to the top of the pole during sunset and the bugler plays Taps.
• As per the National Moment of Silence Act 2000, at 3 pm on Memorial Day, we are asked to observe a moment of silence in memory of the soldiers who have never come home from battle.
• The official flower that represents Memorial Day is red poppies.

What can kids do to honor Memorial Day?

There are several things families can do to commemorate Memorial Day. Even just doing a few things can make an impact on this holiday for kids.

• Take your students on a visit to a Veteran’s cemetery and bring some flowers or even red poppies.
• Bake some cookies or desserts and take them to a veteran you may know or the family of a fallen veteran.
• Check out a local Memorial Day parade with your kids. Head over to VetFriends.com to find a parade near you.
• Access an online Memorial Day scavenger hunt so kids can research all they need to know about Memorial Day in a fun way.
• Have your visual learners watch a video about Memorial Day.
• Do some Memorial Day crafts with your learners.

Free Memorial Day Worksheets

Browse these free resources and printables for learning about Memorial Day.

Children Memorial Day Books and Unit Study Resources – Checking out books at the library is always a great way to get students knowledgeable about holidays like Memorial Day. With these books and Memorial Day unit study resources, you can bring the conversations around the women and men who have served to protect our country and freedoms.

Memorial Day Facts for Kids and Why we Celebrate – Specific to America, Memorial Day remains an important holiday to the land of the free because of the brave. Help your kids learn why we, as a country, choose to celebrate those men and women who have fought to keep our country free.

Free Memorial Day Printables

The Montessori Classroom’s US Memorial Day Activities and Reading – Homeschools who use the Montessori method approach to teaching will enjoy this Memorial Day reading resource. Students will discover the history and Memorial Day observances to appreciate why the holiday is significant to our American history.

Learn About Memorial Day Unit Study – Want to teach your kids the history behind Memorial Day so they can understand just why it is so important? This Memorial Day Unit Study will guide your kids through information about Memorial Day and its deep roots in American soil.

Memorial Day Printables

Multi-Age Memorial Day Lesson Plans – Looking for a Memorial Day resource to use with a wide age range for your homeschool? These Memorial Day Lesson Plans for all ages will help all kids remember the significance of the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day 15 Minute Music Lesson for Kids – This free downloadable short musical lesson for Memorial Day will help kids remember all the military members who have fought and died for our freedoms. The music lesson includes songs like Taps and 1812 overture, infamous for their commemoration of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day Activities

Easy Kids Crafts for Memorial Day – Decorate your home with these Memorial Day and patriotic-themed crafts. If you enjoy placing crafts for the holiday around the house, then you will love these easy kids’ crafts for Memorial Day.

Memorial Day Research for Beginners Scavenger Hunt – If you never thought that kids can do research while completing a scavenger hunt then this resource is for you. Your students will be prompted throughout the Memorial Day scavenger hunt to use websites, books, and encyclopedias to find answers.

Fun Memorial Day Activities With Free Printable Resources – Has your family ever thought of doing purposeful activities on Memorial Day? Like placing flowers on headstones or acknowledging fallen heroes? From learning Memorial Day vocabulary with cards or learning about poetry, these activities will help your students learn all about Memorial Day in an engaging way.

Kids Memorial Day Crafts and Activities – What is a holiday lesson without mixing up a little craft-time fun? Use the colors that have represented our countries from the beginning  – red, white, and blue – in your crafts and even yummy cookie recipes.

15 Student Lessons, Activities, and Projects for Memorial Day – Teaching kids about Memorial Day is important as citizens of the United States of America. This resource shares awesome facts about Memorial Day along with children’s crafts, Memorial Day lessons, worksheets, and activities to commemorate the Memorial Day holiday.

23 Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers on Memorial Day – This resource holds a list of super cool and fun Memorial Day crafts from different websites. Any of these patriotic craft ideas and activities will go great alongside your lessons on Memorial Day this year.

Kids Activities for Memorial Day from Songs to Vocab – Prepare your kids for this important holiday weekend with writing, music, crafts, stories, notebooking, reading, and more.

Memorial Day Videos for Kids

What Is Memorial Day? (Video for kids and even Preschoolers) – Your visual learners will enjoy this video to honor and remember the military and why we celebrate Memorial Day.

(Video) Information for Kids about Memorial Day – Your kids will be able to know what Memorial Day is all about and what it is not to shed some light on this holiday.

Why Do We Honor Memorial Day (Video) – Teach your kids the true meaning of Memorial Day and the sacrifice of those uniformed heroes who choose to serve our country.

Educational Video About Memorial Day – Using educational videos, Ms. Erikka, shares fun historical facts about Memorial Day and why to celebrate those who have died serving in the military armed forces.

Memorial Day Writing Activities

Writing Prompts and Crossword for Memorial Day – Writing prompts get kids thinking and making connections in knowledge and experience. These Memorial Day writing prompts will help your students express why America is a great country. Also, how they would thank a fallen hero given the chance.

53 Writing Prompt Activities for Memorial Day – Writing is an important skill in helping kids understand topics. Take your lessons to the next level by getting your kids thinking, writing, and expressing their thoughts all about Memorial Day.

Thank You for Your Service Printable Writing Activity – Once your student is learning about Memorial Day, an activity to get them truly thinking about the soldiers is a must. This activity will help kids write a note to someone who is serving (or has served) in the military to show how much they are appreciated.

What Does Memorial Day Mean to Me Writing Prompt – Finding out what Memorial Day means to your kids after learning about Memorial Day is a great wrap-up to your homeschool lesson. This specific writing prompt allows kids to reflect on what they have learned and what it means to them.

Memorial Day Printables and Worksheets

Coloring Fun Freebie for Memorial Day – Your kids can use some of these free sheets to writing papers and 20 coloring pages of the different branches of the military. This is a great way for your young learners to start recognizing the branches of the military which protect our country daily.

All About Memorial Day Worksheets – These Memorial Day worksheets and printables can be used to learn about the significance and history of this American holiday. Your kids will enjoy printable PDF worksheets for Memorial Day vocabulary, challenges, crossword puzzles, word searches, and more.

Free Printables Pack for Memorial Day – Kids can learn all sorts of interesting and fun facts, color pages, learn vocabulary, watch videos, and more with this Memorial Day pack.

Free Memorial Day Worksheets

Memorial Day Free Trivia Pack – This fun and educational Memorial Day trivia pack helps kids review what they have learned about the history, importance, and cool facts about the Memorial Day holiday. This printable resource includes trivia cards with questions and answers, along with a Memorial Day trivia answer key and quiz.

What You Need to Know About Memorial Day Worksheet – Grab this worksheet to teach your kids all about Memorial Day in a reading passage that also helps kids review the parts of speech throughout the reading.

Color Pages to discuss Memorial Day at home – Use these Memorial Day color pages to open up discussions about this special day in America. The coloring pages take a natural way for kids to learn for expounding on Memorial Day this federal holiday.

Memorial Day Themed Learning Printables

Themed Memorial Day Packs for Various Ages – When Memorial Day comes around, some Memorial Day-themed printables are great for young learners to use as they celebrate the holiday. These free packs are separated by age groups but you can gauge which is best for your kids. They are Kindergarten to 2nd-grade math packs or the Kindergarten to 2nd-grade Language Arts pack.

Alphabetical Order Worksheet for Memorial Day – Placing words in alphabetical order is a great practice for learning the alphabet and putting words in order. You can actually find a slew of subscriber freebie Memorial Day worksheets from All Kids Network.

Free Memorial Day Rhyming Cards – Teaching kids about words that rhyme? These Memorial Day cards will help your kids match Memorial Day-themed words that rhyme with each other.

Memorial Day Emergent Reader for Young Learners – Need some reading practice for your little ones this holiday? These emergent readers with a. Memorial Day theme come in both emergent and advanced versions.

Poetry, Worksheets, Vocabulary, and More about Memorial Day – Once a holiday rolls around, kids enjoy using worksheets and printables with the holiday theme. This resource is chock full of awesome worksheets and exercises from sentence structure practice to fill-in-the-blanks, poetry, and quizzes.

I will leave you with some quotes that your kids can ponder on and discuss as they are learning about Memorial Day:

“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” – General Douglas MacArthur

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” – Elmer Davis

“Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.” – Mary Roach

“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” – Unknown

“There is nothing nobler than risking your life for your country.” – Nick Lampson

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy