8 Veterans Day Activities for the Classroom

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th each year.  It honors those who have served our country.

Here are some facts about this Day

On November 11th, 1918, World War I ended with an armistice signed at Compiègne, France. In 1954, Congress passed legislation designating November 11 as "Armistice Day." That same year, President Eisenhower proclaimed November 11 as "Veterans Day" to honor veterans of all wars.

If you are looking for some ways to help your students to learn about and honor Veterans Day, here are some Veterans Day activities, teaching resources, and even some free printables!

I ran across a blog post from Laura at Luv My Kinders this weekend and fell in love with several of the activities she had used.  Even though she teaches kindergarten, I knew I could easily adapt some of the activities for my third graders.

After seeing her post, I immediately ordered this Veterans Day Flip Book & More set from Lattes and Lunchrooms.  

We started the day with students completing the poll that was included which asked, "Do you know a Veteran?"

They used the adorable heart shaped flags that were included to answer the question.  Each student colored in their square, wrote their name on the line, and posted it to the appropriate column.

 

The packet comes with some questions to ask your students about the data that would be perfect for kinders or first graders.  I will be spicing it up a bit to challenge my third graders throughout the week.  We will be making graphs using the info and answering questions such as:

* What fraction of our class knows a veteran?

* How many more students know veterans than don't?

* Based on our data, would it be more likely to find a person who knows a veteran or not?

Later that morning we had a veteran visit our classroom.

 He told us about his time in the service (navy) on an aircraft carrier.  He told us that he was a combat veteran having served during times of combat.  He also told us the most important thing that we could say to a veteran was "Thank you!"  The students had a lot of questions for him!

In the afternoon we watched a video that Laura had shared on her blog.  She said it was for older students and fit the bill perfectly for my third graders.

When we finished watching the movie we talked about what character traits Veterans had.  We have been working on character traits during reading, so it was a perfect tie in.  The package came with a heading that said, "Characteristics of a Veteran" that I changed to match our learning objectives.

We ended our Veterans Day learning by making the flip books that came in the set.

 

As we were putting them together, one of my students asked, "Can we read them?"  

"Of course!"  (Don't you love when they beg to do school work like reading?)

 The text was perfect for them to read independently.  You might need to help younger students.

You could also give these out at the beginning of the day so your early finishers can work on them throughout the day.  I just know with my kiddos that once the opportunity to color comes up, they won't work until their coloring is done.  That is why I gave them out at the end of the day!

Speaking of coloring, I also have these Veteran's Day Color by Number pages for students to practice their math facts!

I currently have  addition and multiplication math facts versions of these items and a number recognition or subitizing version.  If you have a request for additional skills, leave a comment below!

Each set comes with (8) Veterans Day themed color by number pages and answer keys.

I hope you have fun learning about and celebrating Veterans Day with your students!

Are there any other activities you do with your students?  Leave them in the comments below!