Memorial Day Activities for Kids

May 10, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Memorial Day is an important holiday that honors those who have died in warfare. While it often serves as a fun holiday that marks the beginning of summer, it’s actually quite a somber day, especially for those who have fallen service members in their families.

Take some time to talk about the meaning of Memorial Day with kids with these activities.

The Holiday Zone is a great place to start for basic information on the history of Memorial Day and lots of activities including songs, classroom activities, arts and crafts projects, recommended books, discussion questions and more. It even suggests a grade range for different printables and which ones would be appropriate for English language learners.

The Memorial Day word search from Homeschool of 1 gives you a chance to talk with kids about what the different words mean in relation to Memorial Day such as sacrifice, service and honor.

Read these Memorial Day poems at Woo Jr., and then have older kids write their own or talk about how poetry can help us remember loved ones or share stories about people who are no longer with us.

Poppies are a classic symbol of remembrance, particularly in the UK. Make this poppy craft from Nothing But Room while you talk about Memorial Day with your kids.

Combine talking about Memorial Day (or any patriotic holiday) with a little cutting practice with these printables from 3 Boys and a Dog.

Jessica Tobin has a flip book you can download from Teachers Pay Teachers all about Memorial Day that includes a passage to read, comprehension questions and true and false questions.

These Memorial Day color by number worksheets from Leap of Faith Crafting are good for any patriotic holiday and for kids who know their numbers up to 10. Simply Love Printables also has a set of coloring pages that are more specifically on theme for Memorial Day with images of soldiers and words of remembrance.

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Beach Crafts Kids Can Make — No Vacation Required

Last month I shared a collection of beach crafts that used items from the beach like seashells and sand. This month’s collection is all about beach animals and things you might see at the beach that don’t require beachy materials to make. In fact you’ve probably got what you need to make most of these beach crafts in your house already.

How about paper plates? With a paper plate you can make this cute watercolor seashell from The Educator’s Spin on It, or an adorable seagull like this one from Glued to My Crafts.

Add some white beans and you can make paper plate sand dollars like Crafts by Amanda. Or use a paper plate as a frame for a sweet beach scene like this crab and turtle one from Artsy Craftsy Mom, which includes a downloadable template and instructions to make it super easy.

Or grab a paper plate and some bubble wrap to make a jellyfish like this one from Happy Toddler Playtime. If you have paper bowls instead of plates, you can also make a jellyfish from one of those, like Natural Beach Living did.

Use your stash of craft sticks and googly eyes to make crabs, fish, sharks and more with this craft idea from The Keeper of the Cheerios.

I love this little crab made with a cardboard tube from Hunny I’m Home. With this same idea I’ll bet you could make lots of different creatures.

Grab some construction paper to make the loopy tentacles on this watercolor jellyfish from Craftsy Hacks. Or make a stained glass jellyfish like this one from Life Anchored.

Make easy puffy paint to make these fun fluffy starfish from I Heart Crafty Things, or use cupcake liners to make cute little crabs (also from I Heart Crafty Things).

Turn an old pool noodle into some super cute fish with this tutorial from Happy Toddler Playtime.

And if you’ve got some leftover yarn lying around, make pompoms and turn them into turtles like these from Craftsy Hacks. (And check out my post on different ways to make pompoms if you need a refresher!)

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