Memorial Day is a holiday that many people use to visit relatives or work outdoors in the yard, but the original focus for the holiday was to celebrate men and women who have died in service for our country.
The holiday was first called Decoration Day and was started after the Civil War as a day to visit the graves of relatives who died in the war and “decorate” their graves with flowers and flags. Until World War I, the holiday was only used to celebrate individuals who died in the Civil War. After WWI, it was expanded to become a celebration for all American heroes and it was not until 1971 that the holiday became a national observance and officially titled “Memorial Day.” If you would like to learn more about the history of Memorial Day with your children, Amazon has this book on learning about Memorial Day that looks like a good resource. Here is a Kindle version you can download instantly if you have waited too long to order a physical copy (instant downloads are the best for procrastinating parents).
Memorial Day is an important holiday for us, because we have a lot of friends and relatives who were/are in the military (luckily, none of our family members have died in service), but it is important that we remember them!
For us, Memorial Day isn’t so much about flag-themed crafts, as it is about remembering the sacrifice that men and women in the military make to keep our country safe.
That being said, hands-on activities can really enforce a concept to children, so here is a simple activity you can do with your kids to help commemorate the day.
|My edges are a little wonky, but that’s totally fine, right?|
Memorial Day Cards
Glue the poem to the background paper, then add any desired embellishments!
|Monkey’s version of this craft.|
Monkey and I had quite different ideas on how to decorate. Her note says,
“Dear Gabriel (the angel),
Please bring this message to the fallen ones.”
She came up with that all on her own. I thought it was really sweet.
Here is the printable- I designed it so it would be about a 4×6 size, but you can adjust it however you like.
These would make great place cards for a Memorial Day meal, or you could hang it on the wall as a reminder of what the holiday is really about. You could even mail them to service men and women that your family knows as a show of support! The uses are pretty much endless.
If you do make this craft, let me know how you use it! I’d love to see how others are using this to celebrate Memorial Day and supporting the troops!