Memorial Day may be known by many as the holiday that kicks off summer, but it’s important to teach our kids and help them remember that Memorial Day means much more than just a fun pool-side barbecue or even sending quality time with our loved ones.
Memorial Day is the official holiday of our country to remember the sacrifices of the brave men and women who fought for our freedoms and to keep this country united. Beyond this common knowledge, though, most people don’t know much else about the momentous holiday.
One way to help our kids grasp a more in-depth meaning and understanding of Memorial Day is by teaching them some simple facts about the national holiday and pausing for a moment of reflection. In doing so, our posterity will not only feel gratitude, but a sense of responsibility towards maintaining those very freedoms.
Here are five facts about Memorial Day and relevant activities to help reinforce the meaning and significance behind Memorial Day.
1. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. To honor the deceased, soldiers would decorate graves of their fallen comrades with flowers, flags and wreaths. Hence Decoration Day. Memorial Day became the official title in the 1880s and legally become Memorial Day in 1967.
Activity: Make a Memorial Day craft with your child, which can range from wreaths to homemade flags. Your child can even fly the flag half-staff as a symbolic way to honor the fallen Americans. These crafts can be used as “decorative” statements of appreciation.
2. Memorial Day was originally called to observe those who died in the Civil War, but now observes all soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country.
Activity: Visit a local Veteran's cemetery. Almost every community has some sort of a war memorial.
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