Are you ready to celebrate Veterans Day in your classroom? This post shares facts teachers should know about Veterans Day. This will help you avoid the common mistakes some teachers make when teaching their students about Veterans Day. In addition, this post includes a list of Veterans Days activities for kids. Learn more below!
8 Veterans Day Facts for Elementary Teachers
- There is no apostrophe in Veterans Day. However, there is an “s” at the end of the word. This is because it is not a day that “belongs” to veterans, but rather it is a day for honoring all veterans.
- Make sure you capitalize “Veterans Day” because it is a proper noun. Do not capitalize the words “veteran” and “veterans,” when you use them on their own.
- A common mistake teachers make is using the word soldier when teaching about Veterans Day. The word “soldier” refers only to members of the Army. In order to honor all those who’ve served, consider using the term “troops” when referencing this group and not “soldiers.” Each branch has a unique term. An airman is in the U.S. Air Force, a marine is in the U.S Marine Corps, a sailor is in the U.S. Navy, a coast guardsman (or guardsman) is in the U.S. Coast Guard, and, as I mentioned, a soldier is in the U.S. Army.
- Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th of each year. This date was chosen because it marked the end of World War I.
- Veterans Day became a national holiday in 1938.
- Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans – living or deceased – who served their country. Memorial Day, on the other hand, honors veterans who died in service to their country.
- It was originally called Armistice Day. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day.
- The National Ceremony is held each year at Arlington National Cemetery where the president gives a speech and veterans are honored.
Veterans Day Activities for Elementary Students
Below are popular teaching resources for Veterans Day that you can implement in your elementary classroom.
1. Veterans Day Read Alouds
Reading aloud picture books is a great instructional strategy for sharing information about any topic. I have collected a lot of books over the years. They are packed with impactful stories and factual information! Check out my favorite Veterans Day Books for Kids.
2. Veterans Day Lap Book Project
This Veterans Day Lap Book Project is perfect for 2nd-4th grade students, offering a hands-on way to learn about Veterans Day beyond traditional worksheets. It includes vocabulary activities, summarizers, themed writing prompts, and lap book templates, with two writing paper options for primary and intermediate levels. Teachers love the resource for its creativity, versatility, and engagement, as well as the bonus materials for other holidays. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
3. Veterans Day Cards
These Printable Veterans Day Card Templates allow students in grades 1-5 to create thank you cards for Veterans Day or Remembrance Day. The resource includes 5 vertical and 5 horizontal foldable cards to color, 2 blank cards for custom designs, 12 sentence starters, 10 writing prompts, and a veteran-related vocabulary list with definitions and synonyms. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
4. Letters to Veterans
This Veteran’s Day Letter Writing Kit helps elementary students express gratitude and practice letter-writing skills. It includes a letter formatting guide, anchor chart printables, patriotic letter templates, graphic organizers, sentence starters, a veteran vocabulary list, and a letter-writing checklist. This is a thoughtful and meaningful way to celebrate Veterans Day with your students. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
5. Veterans Day Chat Craft Write
This Veterans Day Activities Craft and Writing Prompts Packet helps students explore the meaning of Veterans Day through crafts, writing, and discussions. It includes 20+ discussion cards, writing paper, craft templates, and a letter to families to encourage continued conversations at home. It fosters critical thinking, creativity, and gratitude while offering flexible, ready-to-use resources for teachers. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
6. Veterans Day Activity Packet
This Veterans Day Activity Packet is filled with fun and engaging activities students love! These activities can be used as center activities, homework, fast finisher tasks, filler activities, or indoor recess activities. Learn more about what’s included and why teachers love it below! Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
7. Veterans Day Non-Fiction Unit
This Veterans Day Non-Fiction Unit includes 3 leveled reading passages, vocabulary cards, discussion prompts, assessments, and more. This unit will help you meet your students needs, teach important non-fiction reading skills, and increase student engagement during your literacy time. Your students will not only learn important literacy skills, but will also learn about veterans. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
8. Veterans Day Writing Activities
These Veterans Day writing activities are a great way to honor our country’s veterans while strengthening 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students’ writing skills. This resource includes graphic organizers to support students with organizing their thinking, draft paper templates, final copy paper templates, class book covers, and a bulletin board sign.
Use this Veterans Day writing packet with any prompts you select. It is a great complement to any Veterans Day craft project or bulletin board. The set includes differentiated versions that make it easy for you to modify the work to meet the individual needs of your students. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
9. Veterans Day Reading Comprehension Activities
These Veterans Day graphic organizers are great for helping students comprehend their reading prepare for text-based discussions, and organize their thoughts before writing.
Teachers love them because they cover every reading comprehension skill, require no prep – just print and go, and pair with every Veterans Day text, picture book, nonfiction article or reading curriculum story they already use. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
10. Veterans Day Color by Code Activity
This Veterans Day Color by Code Activity is a fun and engaging task that invites students to practice identifying the parts of speech of thematic words like uniform, defend, and admirable. It’s a quick print and go activity you can have printed on your desk whenever you have 15-20 minutes to fill. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
11. Veterans Day Would You Rather Activities
These Veterans Day Would You Rather Activities include prompts where students are given two options to choose from. They are a great way to increase engagement in your classroom whether it’s during your morning meeting or literacy centers. Learn more about this resource in our Clutter-Free Classroom Teacher Store!
12. Veterans Day Acrostic Poem Activities
These Veterans Day Acrostic Poem Activities include five unique acrostic poem templates, each offering a different blend of structure, creativity, and seasonal-themed fun. Each printable worksheet was designed to spark creativity, reinforce writing skills, improve vocabulary, and give students meaningful ways to engage with seasonal themes – all in a super quick and easy format teachers can use with no prep. Learn more below!
13. Veterans Day Directed Drawing Activities
These Veterans Day Directed Drawing Activities are a fun and engaging way for elementary students to practice a variety of important skills: writing, vocabulary, focus, fine motor, social-emotional, and more. Both teachers and students love them! Learn more below!
14. Veterans Day Bookmarks
These Veterans Day Bookmarks pair perfectly with other Veterans’ Day activities. Students will enjoy these Veterans’ Day coloring activities that spark creativity while giving them a purposeful finished product to use during independent reading. Learn more below!
15. Veterans Day Word Search
This Veterans Day Word Search is a fun way for 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade or 5th grade students to celebrate Veterans Day while reinforcing spelling, Veterans Day vocabulary, reading, visual scanning, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. Learn more below!
Get All of the Veterans Day Activities
Below are some other popular Veterans Day activities you might be interested in.
In closing, we hope you found these teaching ideas about Veterans Day helpful! If you did, you may also like these November activities for kids!
