Veterans Day Resources for Lesson Planning

15 FREE Resources Exploring “Veterans Day”

Sharing Veterans Day with Young Learners

What is Veterans Day anyway? Young children can easily confuse Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Each of these celebrations comes with minimal time allocation practice in the classroom and homeschool platforms. Mostly in part because it is a nationally recognized holiday, and in the United States students have the day off.

It is important to take some time to share about all of our national holidays. Veterans Day is one of the most important days to highlight, because without the bravery and dedication of our American soldier we would not experience the freedom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness granted by our forefathers.

Veterans Day is not the same as Memorial Day, so many people get these confused and think the meanings of the holidays are interchangeable. This is NOT the case Memorial Day honors those who have served and have passed away. Veterans Day honors those who have served and are still living. To learn more about Veterans Day check out this article written by Katie Lange from the Department of Defense called “5 Facts to Know About Veterans Day.”

Soldier stands at Vietnam War Memorial with flag. — Source: US Department of Defense

Included in this post are some online books, learning videos and some free digital downloads from some amazing teachers from TpT. As an Amazon Associate I can earn a small commission from qualifying purchases from links in this bog. Thank you, and happy teaching!

Online Books

There are many books about patriotism and how the soldier has given freely of himself to maintain our way of life. CLICK HERE to see a collection of books for the Red, White and Blue – Patriotic Books for Kids! Here are five online books to share with young learners.

“The Wall”

A young boy and his father visit the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Washington D.C.

“H is for Honor”

“Written by the son of a career officer, this book explores the branches of the Armed Services and speaks from the heart about the honor, privileges and sacrifices of military families everywhere. Children will discover why drill sergeants have to be so tough, what it means to be patriotic and why we need Special Forces such as the Navy SEALS, the Green Berets and the Army Rangers. H is for Honor also explains why the annual Army/Navy football game is more than just a game, how much letters from home mean to soldiers, how often military families have to move and what life on base is like. With an underlying message of courage and commitment that every child can relate to, the book will be especially meaningful to those whose parents, siblings or other relatives serve in the Armed Forces.” Excerpt Amazon

“Hero Dad”

A boy compares his father, a soldier to a superhero.

“Hero Mom”

The moms in this book are superheros, well Military moms.

“America’s White Table”

“The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and remembrance to service members fallen, missing, or held captive in the line of duty. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit.” Excerpt Amazon

Veterans Day Videos

There are many videos available on YouTube. Here are five videos your kids will enjoy as they learn about Veterans Day.

“Veterans Day: Thank You!”

“Share this Veterans Day video with your early learners to honor the brave individuals who have served our country. Then check out our Veterans Day printable activities for Kindergarten to 4th grade students.” – Excerpt Scholastic

“The History of Veterans Day”

This is more of a teach the teacher (a refresher before teaching the kids) “This brief video provides a short history of the holiday now known as Veterans Day in the United States.” -Excerpt Reading Through History

PBS Learning Media “Veterans Day”

“November 11th is Veteran’s Day! Do you know any veterans? How do you honor them?” – Questions to ask before watching the video with your students.

Veterans Day for Kids Cartoon

“Helping kids learn with cartoons, watch this educational video for students delivering fun facts about Veterans Day for Elementary Students. Join Jeremiah as he talks about how Veterans Day evolved from Armistice Day to celebrate those in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force & Coast Guard.” – Excerpt Educational Videos for Students

“How to Teach Veterans Day in Kindergarten”

“How to Teach Veteran’s Day in Kindergarten. Part of the series: Early Education Teaching Tips. Teaching kindergarten children about Veteran’s Day involves first helping them understand bravery, courage and patriotism before explaining about the military and honoring those who have served the country. Help children understand Veteran’s Day with information from an early childhood teacher in this free video on education.” – Excerpt eHow Education

Printable Resources

The last few resources are from some of my peers at Teacher Pay Teacher. Even if you are not a traditional classroom teacher, any caregiver can download free and/or purchase these teachers created resources from the TpT website.

Veterans Day

“This printer friendly black/white pack contains printable to teach and learn all about our military branches and Veterans Day!” Excerpt Primary Punch

We Remember a Mini-Unit for Veterans Day

“This is a Language Arts unit for Early Primary. This is good for Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Veteran’s Day. I have used these lessons for years in my own K to Grade 2 classes.” -Excerpt Savvy Teaching Tips

Free Veterans Day Card

This is a simple free veterans day card for your little ones to color and give to a Veteran.

Veterans Day

“Your kiddos will fill in words to make this short little book on Veteran’s Day and then draw pictures!” – Excerpt Haley O’Connor

Veterans Day

“Enjoy this Veterans Day Freebie as you honor our veterans in your classroom!” – Excerpt Jessica Joseph Hawkins

If you like these free resources please consider following these teacher creators. They are always developing new and cool things, for you and I, to share with young learners.