It's important for our children to understand the significance of Veterans Day and how our ancestors and other Americans sacrificed their lives to protect our country. My father was a veteran of World War II. He was so proud to serve our country in order to maintain our freedom.
In teaching our students about Veterans Day, I have a few activities to help students learn about this special day and our U.S. symbols.
I came across a great video to share with your students about the Vietnam War and a book called The Wall by Eve Bunting. The video goes back and forth between the little boy speaking from the book and video about the war. (I would recommend showing this video to upper elementary students because of some of the sensitive material.)
The Wall by Eve Bunting is about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A young boy and his dad travel to Washington D.C. to look for his grandfather's name among all of the veterans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. This is a sweet book to read to any elementary age child.
By reading H for Honor: A Military Family Alphabet, students learn more about the branches of the armed forces and the meaning of patriotism. The book also tells how much soldiers appreciate letters from home.
Below is an activity about patriotism and words that describe our soldiers.
Veterans Day (Our Nation's Pride) is another book to read on Veterans Day. This book helps explain the creation, history and the meaning of the holiday. It also emphasizes the importances of knowing about the symbols of the U.S.. I love the picture of the older veteran on the cover.
Below is a center activity with QR codes that link to information about important symbols of the U.S..
Encourage your students to interview a veteran they know. The veteran may be a neighbor, family friend or member of their family. This is a great opportunity to get to know more about the person and his/her role in serving our country.
If you would like more activities to do with your students on Veteran's Day, take a look at my Veteran's Day product.
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