As two former military wives, we both have had close ties to the military and all the emotions accompanied with it. One word that resounds with the military is sacrifice. Soldiers and their families sacrifice immeasurably for our country. They sacrifice time- birthdays, births, anniversary, deaths, soccer games, recitals, graduations, weddings. They sacrifice community- family get togethers, friendships, relationships, reunions, careers and so many more unseen sacrifices.
Since my husband was a part of a military family, I was lucky enough to experience the military before being apart of it. On multiple occasions I got to see our military leaders in a room together, not talking about politics, but focused purely on the freedoms of our country and the safety of our troops. I saw unity. I saw leadership. I saw pride.
Memorial Day is a day to remember, no matter what our political beliefs are, that we are free because of the many who were willing to lay down their lives for us. Let us enjoy the freedoms we have and remember those who made it possible.
How to teach the meaning of Memorial Day to your kids?
Teach this topic in a way that is most appropriate to your family.Every family is different, what is it that you want them to know? If you've had anyone who has served in your family you can talk about their service and what it looked like. Maybe show pictures to your kids of the family member in uniform.
Another idea is to choose specific words and discuss their meaning. Have your children reflect and determine what this word means to them. Some good words for this topic could be: sacrifice, patriotism, commemorate, decoration, or tradition.
Write a letter to a soldier (or draw a picture). A simple activity you can do as a family that can have an impact on a soldiers day. Below you will find some links to organizations that support this cause.
Donate to an organization. There are tons of organizations that support troops and military families.
Make a craft. Sometimes the best way to build pride and resonate with little children is to do crafts. Below you will find a link that lists several ideas for Memorial Day crafts.
However you decide to celebrate our freedom, we hope that you have an amazing holiday!
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