Veterans Day Ideas and Activities for Preschoolers
I’m excited to share my favorite veterans day ideas and activities with you this year. We remember the veterans who have so bravely fought for our country each year on November 11th. It’s an important patriotic holiday to celebrate with our children both in the classroom and at home.
There are many fun ways to celebrate veterans day and explain this important holiday to kids. It’s a great way to begin exploring our nation’s history through songs, picture books, and veterans day activities.
Keep reading to discover my favorite engaging veterans day preschool crafts, printables, and activities. You’re going to love these veterans day ideas!
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How to Explain Veterans Day to Preschoolers
Explaining Veterans Day to preschoolers is a great way to begin a conversation about the history of our nation, patriotism, and the armed services. You can teach preschoolers about the day with Veterans Day activities and picture books.
Picture books promote print awareness, literacy, and help preschoolers develop vital vocabulary skills too. We can use picture books in the classroom and at home to help children begin to understand important topics and big emotions too. Here are a few of my favorite Veterans Day books for preschoolers:
The Poppy Lady: Monia Belle Michael by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh
H is for Honor: A Military Family Alphabet by Devin Scillian
Grandad Bud: A Veterans Day Story by Siobhan Dodds
Veterans: Heroes in Our Neighborhood by Valerie Pfundstein
Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus
Reading books aloud to my preschoolers is definitely one of my favorite Veterans Day activities. After reading a great book together, you can extend the learning with hands-on activities and fun Veterans Day preschool printables.
Free Veterans Day Easy Reader
Speaking of great Veterans Day printables for kids. Be sure to grab this free easy reader and give thanks to our Veterans!
Veterans Day Preschool Crafts & Printables
Veterans Day preschool crafts and printables are an easy no-prep way to help your preschoolers develop their fine motor skills, learn to express their creativity, and learn about the holiday. Need more veterans day ideas? Check out some of my favorite patriotic Veterans Day preschool printables and crafts below.
Veterans Day Preschool Crafts Pack
This craft pack is filled with cut-and-paste Veterans Day preschool printables. You can use these simple crafts at home and in the classroom to teach your kids all about the branches of our military this November. I’ve included boy and girl templates for the marines, the navy, the air force, the coast guard, and the army.
These cute crafts are easy for preschoolers and line up perfectly with the Veterans Day picture books mentioned above. You can use them to bring your stories to life or decorate the classroom with them this November. They’d make a great addition to your Veterans Day thank you letters too!
Firework Craft for Preschool Learners
Fireworks are a big part of celebrating liberty in our nation. This Firework Craft Printable makes a great addition to your Veterans Day activities this year. Plus, it’s super easy to prepare for a big group of kids too.
Tear Art Veterans Day Preschool Craft
Tear art activities are really easy for preschool learners. Plus, they’re great for helping preschoolers develop fine motor skills too.
Your kids will use fine motor skills to help with important tasks like zipping, buttoning, and tying shoes.
Preschoolers need strong fine motor skills for proper pencil grip and handwriting as they prepare for kindergarten too. Build these important early learning skills with this creative Veteran’s Day craft activity. You’ll need this heart printable, glue, and construction paper.
Kids will add pieces of construction paper to my printable template to create their very own veterans day craft. Tearing the paper and gluing the pieces is great fine motor practice! Plus, it’s an easy Veterans Day Craft for even the youngest learners to complete.
This “we love our veterans” poster is adorable posted on the wall, fridge, or bulletin board this November. You can make a few extras to mail to veterans with thank you notes too.
Statue of Liberty Preschool Craft
Don’t miss my printable Statue of Liberty Craft for your patriotic celebrations this Autumn. It’s an easy cut-and-paste printable you can use to teach your preschoolers about the liberty and freedom our veterans have worked so hard to secure.
Veterans Day Ideas to Celebrate in the Classroom
Teaching preschoolers about this holiday in the classroom can be tons of fun! I have created a handful of Veterans Day preschool printables and crafts to help you get started. In addition to reading great picture books about the holiday, my favorite Veterans Day preschool crafts will teach your kids about the holiday while engaging them in developing early learning skills too.
Guest Speaker & Flag Visit
Veterans Day can be the perfect time to invite a guest speaker to your classroom or take a field trip. Use this opportunity to invite a veteran to speak to your preschoolers and answer their questions. Another fun Veterans Day idea is to take a walk to the flag pole with your students and teach them about the meaning behind our nation’s flag.
Letter Writing
Another idea is to use Veterans Day to encourage your preschoolers to say thank you. Preschool learners can work together to craft thank you cards for veterans.
The project A Million Thanks helps get letters to veterans all over the nation to say “thank you” to our armed service members. Consider hosting a letter-writing event in your preschool classroom this Veterans Day. A Million Thanks will mail your handwritten, personalized letters to service members all over the world.
Patriotic Sensory Bin
I love using sensory bins with preschoolers. This patriotic Veterans Day idea is filled with multisensory learning fun for kids of all ages, but especially preschool learners. Discover how to make your own patriotic sensory bin filled with red, white, and blue fun!
More Veterans Day Activities
Kids with Flags Craft
This adorable craft makes a cute addition to your Veteran’s Day celebrations this November. After a visit to the flag, my cut-and-paste craft will help your preschoolers remember the meaning behind our nation’s flag. You can use this preschool printable craft to create cute kids with flags for your bulletin board or door decoration this year too.
George Washington Easy Reader
Did you know our first president was a veteran? Learn more about George Washington, America’s first president, with my printable easy reader.
These interactive printable books make learning to read an interactive experience for your preschoolers. It’s an easy way to build print awareness and help kids make connections between written and spoken words. Plus, they make a fun take-home Veterans Day activity too.
Matching Veterans Day activity
Are you working on visual discrimination this November? If so, this match the veterans activity is perfect for you. It’ll teach your preschoolers to pay attention to details and even helps strengthen their cognitive skills in a fun way.
As an added bonus, you’ll even get these free patriotic fine motor tracing or cutting pages and a counting craft to use November 11th with your preschool learners as you learn all about veterans day.
Veterans Day coloring pages
Looking for more veterans day ideas? Color by code printables are always a hit in my classroom. Grab these veterans day coloring printables and work on numbers and the alphabet as you learn about this significant day.
Adorable Veterans Day Songs for Preschoolers
Music ignites all areas of a child’s development, including motor skills, early literacy, and the development of social-emotional skills. Singing Veterans Day songs for preschoolers isn’t just a fun way to celebrate the holiday, it’s a really important way to teach all kinds of important early learning skills too.
There are lots of adorable Veterans Day songs for preschoolers you can use to get your kids up and moving, encourage healthy physical activity, and take advantage of the benefits of music too. Check out some of my favorite Veterans day songs for preschoolers below.
Thank You, Soldiers
Thank You, Soldiers is a beautiful song written by Michael and Angela Souders for Veterans Day. Discover this touching song of gratitude along with the hand motions that make it especially fun for preschoolers from Bow Tie Music.
Veteran’s Day Poppy Song
This song from The Kiboomers pairs up nicely with The Poppy Lady book all about Moina Belle Michael. You can use this Veterans Day song for preschoolers to help your kids understand the significance of the poppy flower this November. Pair it with these rembrance day poppies for a fun and learning activity.
You’re A Grand Old Flag
Add You’re A Grand Old Flag to your flag lessons and celebrations this Veterans Day. It’s a beautiful song preschoolers can learn to express their thanks to veterans and pride in Old Glory. Check out the version from Makowski Music.
Star Spangled Banner
Teach your preschoolers to sing our nation’s anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, this November. Learning to sing our national anthem is a beautiful way to say thank you to the men and women who have served our country. Share your favorite version in the comment section.
Fireworks!
Another fun Veterans Day song for preschoolers is Fireworks! From the Kiboomers. It’s perfect for singing as you make my printable fireworks craft this year. Plus, it’s filled with fun sound effects and motions you can use to help preschoolers get those wiggles out.
What are some of your favorite Veterans Day ideas for preschoolers? I’d love to read about the Veterans Day activities and crafts you love best in the comment section. Don’t forget to share your favorite crafts and grab my easy printables to bring your Veterans Day lessons to life too.