Celebrate Memorial Day with Children

© Tara Crooks

President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday on the last Monday in May. On May 31, 2010 cities all around the United States will hold their own to pay respect to the men and women who have died in wars or in the service of their country.

Teaching the meaning of Memorial Day to your children can be a challenge. To many American’s Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and is an excuse to get out and barbeque and go camping, but to military families the meaning runs much deeper than a casual barbeque. We want our children to understand why Memorial Day is a holiday and what it means to our country’s history and our warrior’s families.

The most simplistic thing you can do to offer explanation and honor this holiday with your children is to spend time talking to them about what Memorial Day means to you. Take the day to talk & reflect on the subject of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Honor & Respect -Visit a local Veteran’s cemetery. Almost every community has some sort of a war memorial.

Visit & Pay Tribute - Take cookies, books, or movies to a nearby Veteran’s hospital.

Celebrate with a Parade - Go to a Memorial Day parade. To find one near you visit: http://www.vetfriends.com/Memorial_Day_Parade/ or watch the National Memorial Day Parade on television: http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/

Scavenger Hunt - http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/hunt/images/hunt036.pdf provides kids an online scavenger hunt that helps them learn about the history of Memorial Day.
Recognize our Heroes - Teach your children about medals of honor. You can print a Medal of Honor coloring book from http://www.homeofheroes.com/coloringbook/ and learn the history behind our brave soldiers.

Educate with History - Watch a movie and learn some history about famous battles of the past. The History Channel and The Military Channel have many shows that might fit this bill.

Create with Crafts – visit http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/memorialday/ and find Memorial Day coloring pages, craft projects, word searches, quizzes and more!

Break Bread Together– All Recipes has some great Memorial Day recipes for the holiday http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Memorial-Day-Cooking/Detail.aspx

Make A Soldier’s Day – Have your children create a card or picture to be sent overseas to a soldier currently at war.