Today we’re going to talk about a special Remembrance Day for kids activity to help them make a difference.
Reembrace day falls on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11 hour. So, it’s on November 11th and it marks the end of World War 1. On this day, we take some time to remember the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom and peace of mind, and those who kept our nation going when the soldiers were at war.
Before we continue, if you’d like FREE resources to help your children develop a growth mindset alongside their literacy skills, check out my Free Resource Library.
I run a club at school where the students along with the children in my class, create and write Remembrance Day cards to the local veterans in our city. Last year, I got a call to let me know how much of an impact it had on our veterans. Some of them had tears in their eyes to see that they were remembered, most especially by our young ones.
When I let my students know the impact that their work had, they wanted to create more cards so that they could reach out to as many soldiers and their families as they could. Can you imagine how many more students will be participating this year?
Their parents told me how excited they were because they took their cards home to work on it so that they could bring it back in time for me to make my delivery.
So how can you take this into your class or home?
Actionable Steps:
Step 1: Pause
Teach your children about the concept of Remembrance Day and then have them take a moment to pause and give thanks for their freedom. Remind them about the reason that they’re creating these cards. If you just ask them to do it as I’ve seen done in the past, without providing some context, like I just did, your children will not be engaged and you won’t get many cards. They also won’t be giving you their best work, which is so important for this activity.
Step 2: Be Creative
Download and print out the FREE resource I created in my resource library. It’s already been created in the form of a card so you’ll just need to either have your children fold it in half or you’ll need to do it for them, and then give them to your children colour it in.
You can also do this as a guided drawing activity to decorate the inside of the card.
Step 3: Be Thoughtful
For young ones, I’d pre-teach different things they could write in the card. It only needs to be a phrase or two to make an impact.
Step 4: Look at Your Signature
Please remember not to have your children sign their names for safety reasons. I prefer having my kids sign the club’s name or their grade down instead.
Step 5: Deliver It
Find a local Veteran’s society in your neighborhood and ask if you can deliver cards for Remembrance Day. Then deliver it. If you’re doing this as a family, you can mail it if there’s time, but to save on postage and to ensure delivery as I do this with a large group of children, I go there personally and give it to them.
The Curriculum:
Step 1 can be integrated as a part of your history lesson if you provide them with some background.
Step 2, where you require them to draw or colour, can be a part of your art curriculum,
Step 3 and 4, where they are expected to write, can be integrated into your language arts curriculum.
This overall process can be used as part of your health and career lesson as you’re practicing mindfulness and engaging in a social impact activity.
Recap:
1. We looked at what Remembrance Day is and how we can have an impact.
2. We talked about the small steps we can take to create a big impact: pause, be creative, be thoughtful, look at your signature, and deliver it.
3. We looked at the aforementioned steps can fit into your curriculum.
4. I’ve also provided you with FREE card templates.
Additional Thoughts:
Well, these are my 5 steps for helping your children make a difference with one small action for Remembrance Day.
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If you’d like additional resources for your classroom here are the three ways you can access them: 1) Free Resource Library; 2) At my store; or 3) The Creative Child Community.
One thing that you can do right away, is to create a plan for the first back-to-school week in January so that you enjoy the winter break without feeling overwhelmed or thinking about teaching. Let’s do it together for FREE using a hands-on approach. For more information, join me at Systematic Plan to Super Passionate.
Next Steps:
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favour? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
