Veterans Day activities for students including lessons and Veterans Day crafts for elementary or preschool and Veterans Day ideas for middle school and high school. Great Veterans Day ideas for school / homeschool, homeschooling co-op, troops, or children’s church and Sunday school to honor those who have served in United States military.
Creative Veterans Day Activities For Students
Use these Veteran’s Day lesson plans, activities, printables, and ideas to honor and celebrate those who serve our country! Adapt them for Veterans Day activities for kindergarten, preschoolers, or older students!
How do you teach Veterans Day to kids?
- Learn how to say thank you on Veterans Day
- Make cards for veterans at a Veteran’s hospital
- Read books about the dedication and sacrifice of U.S. veterans
- Complete a patriotic lesson unit study
- Donate supplies to organizations that support veterans
- Volunteer at a Veterans Hospital or an assisted living facility with lots of veterans
- Read Veterans Day poems
- Send care packages to active military personnel
- Ask a veteran what branch of the military they serve in and then thank them
- Do Veterans Day history lesson plans
- Focus on activities that highlight wartime service and sacrifice
- Attend Veterans Day events, parades, or a ceremony honoring military veterans
- Interview a veteran about their experiences and listen to their important stories
- Visit museums with military exhibits (or take a virtual field trip)
- Buy a veteran a meal if you see them out at a restaurant or coffee shop
- Understand the history of different wars
(See the full list of ideas and activities for Veterans Day below — enough to build a great Veterans Day lesson plan. Keep scrolling!)
Before we get to the more Veterans Day ideas, you may be wondering:
How do I explain Veterans Day to a Kid?
What is Veterans Day?
Veterans Day is an annual holiday to celebrate and give thanks for U.S. military veterans honoring them and saying “thank you” for their service to our country.
Is Veterans Day a national holiday?
Veterans Day has been a national holiday Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th, dubbed as Veterans Day. It was first declared a federal holiday in 1938, after previously being named an annual observance in 1926.
Some people confuse the Veterans Day meaning with Memorial Day, so be sure to cover that in your studies for students, too!
Veterans Day vs Memorial Day
People often confuse Veterans Day vs Memorial Day. Memorial Day is for remembering those who gave their lives fighting for our country. Veterans Day is honors all veterans for serving our country, including a day to remember veterans alive or dead who have sacrificed for our freedoms.
Veteran’s Day is the holiday that is made to all veterans—living veterans, those currently serving, and veterans who have passed. Memorial Day vs Veteran’s Day is often confused. Although they are different federal holidays, both honor those who have served our country.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Memorial Day for Kids Lessons, Activities, Projects
Interesting Veterans Day Facts
About Veterans Day facts:
- Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day (an Armistice is an agreement between two opposing sides and ends a war)
- Veterans Day honors veterans of all wars and branches of the military
- Veterans Day is alway on November 11th because the armistice was put into effect on the 11th moth, 11th day, and 11th hour after World War 1.
- Veterans Day was changed from November 11th, to the being celebrated on a Monday in order for federal employees to get a 3-day holiday. Then, it was changed back to November 11 because people were continuing to celebrate Veterans Day on that day anyway.
- “By 2045, it’s expected that the number of female veterans will double to 18%.” [source]
18 Veterans Day Lesson Plans, Activities, and Ideas for Kids
You’ll find something for everyone on this list — Veteran’s Day activities for elementary students, high school students, and even Veterans Day activities for preschoolers!
What activities are done on Veterans Day?
- Watch a video about veterans day for kids
- Make patriotic kindness rocks
- Read a Veterans Day poem
- Learn about Sgt. Stubby – a veteran dog!
- Grab free printable PDF World War lesson plans
- Use living books to bring soldiers’ stories to life (READ MORE ABOUT LIVING BOOKS)
- Watch a video on World War I
- Play Veterans Day Games
- Do Veterans Day crafts for kids
- Get Veterans Day writing activities for elementary students and up
- Write a veteran withe these awesome patriotic cards (get a free Veterans Day printable letter template here)
- Take a virtual field trip to the National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Send care packages to troops
- Create Veterans Day art activities for elementary students and up
- Watch a Veterans Day video for kids
- Learn about Arlington National Cemetery, which holds the graves of many military personnel
- Learn what was Veterans Day originally called and the history of the day and name change
- Read children’s books about Veterans Day, wars, and patriotism
