A list of upper elementary activities to teach about Veterans Day.
Next Tuesday is Veterans Day. Since every year we are off, this holiday can easily slip through the cracks.
To prevent this from happening, I'm dishing out five simple activities you can do in the classroom that are perfect if you are teaching online or face to face.
Let's start with the basics.
What Is Veterans Day?
Veterans Day is a holiday to acknowledge the people who have served in the military's different branches.
Many people confuse Veterans Day and Memorial Day. There is a difference between the two. Memorial Day honors the memory of those who have passed away in and out of combat.
Now that we got the basics down read on to find out about the different activities you can do for Veterans Day.
Share Fun Facts About Veterans Day
Sharing fun facts about Veterans Day is one way to kick off talking about the holiday.
These known facts are perfect for kids who don't know much about the holiday or need a refresher.
Here is a list of quick facts packed with background information to learn more about the holiday.
- Veterans Day was initially called Armistice Day, and it was to pay honor to the soldiers of World War I.
- The first Armistice Day was observed in November 1919.
- The date November 11th was chosen because that's the day soldiers stop fighting from both sides.
- The word Armistice was changed to Veterans after World War II.
- On May 13th, 1938, President Dwight Eisenhower made Veterans Day a legal holiday.
You can read more about the history of Veterans Day by visiting the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans Day Writing Activity
One of my go-to activities for holidays is for the kids to write. It is a great practice to build writing stamina, and it gives the class a break from writing essays.
I love using these monthly writing prompts because it allows me to see the kids writing growth. At the end of the year, these monthly writing prompts are showcased at our end of year celebration.
If we were to be in the classroom, this activity requires no time to put together. It also makes a great display to put together to showcase the kid's writing. You can find this activity and more in my shop.
Now that we are remote, the kids will be submitting the writing prompt online. I will be turning them into images and compiling them to make a virtual bulletin board.
Veterans Day Activities on BrainPop!
BrainPop! is a website offering educational videos on a range of topics. The kids love the recurring character of Moby the robot. In a nutshell, the video answers questions that kids submitted.
BrainPop is a paid subscription but is well worth the investment because it offers a range of activities with the video.
For Veterans Day, they have a video that explains the holiday and a self-graded quiz that goes with it. It's perfect for a Social Studies grade.
You can also extend the video with a coding activity, or the kids can read more about it with a paired reading.
Nearpod Activities for Veterans Day
Nearpod turns PowerPoint presentation interactive by adding interactive slides where kids can respond to questions. It is also a paid subscription but worth it if you are a one to one school or teaching remotely.
Nearpod has a range of different slide decks to teach kids about Veterans Day. One feature that Nearpod offer is the option to go beyond the basic facts of Veterans Day.
For example, the essential question in this slide deck asks the kids to think about the impact of Veterans Day. This is a great activity to teach beyond the basic facts of the holiday.
YouTube Videos That Teach About Veterans Day
YouTube has an extensive list of videos to teach about Veterans Day for all grade levels.
I have compiled a list with videos I have found for third and fourth graders.
- Veterans Day Facts for Kids by Homeschool Pop
- Veterans Day for Kids Cartoon! Learn fun facts about Veterans Day for Elementary Students by Educational Videos for Students
- Bet You Didn't Know: Veterans Day | History by the History Channel
- Veterans Day: Thank You! by Scholastic
- Veterans Day – How it started and why we honor it – KID HISTORY
- PBS LEARNING MEDIA | Veteran's Day | by PBS KIDS
Wrapping It Up
Veterans Day is an essential topic to cover in upper elementary. It teaches kids about the heroes that serve in the different branches of the military. Get ready to teach Veterans Day with any of these activities.
