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Children’s Books for Veterans Day Activities

When our youngest students see the stars and stripes on the American flag, they typically don’t know their symbolic meeting. While this is understandable due to age, it is essential that students start to understand why it is important to respect military veterans. One of the best ways to do this involves using children’s books for Veterans Day. This will allow students to learn how lucky we are to have freedom on the special day that honors our veterans. Thankfully, there are incredible Veterans Day activities to show how lucky we are to have brave soldiers protecting our freedom. 

Tuesday Tucks Me In 

Authors Luis Carlos Montalvan and Bret Witter teamed up with photographer Dan Dion for an inspirational story. 

Special events and holidays are always fun to celebrate. However, it is imperative to understand the meaning behind a special day. This is absolutely the case with Veterans Day. In order to teach students about this day in an age-appropriate way, Tucker will step in to help! 

children's books for veterans day

Tuesday is a service dog to a returning war veteran He takes readers through a typical day of tail-wagging adventures. This includes taking Luis, the veteran, on a walk in the morning and greeting people with dog breath. Then, readers will see how Tuesday tucks Luis in each night before they cuddle in bed. 

Honestly, this is one of the most profound children’s books for Veterans Day. It shows the special bond between a war veteran and a service dog. 

Children’s Books for Veterans Day Activities 

When incorporating children’s books for Veterans Day, there are enriching activities to ensure students understand the magnitude of this day. Thankfully, this will help students build appreciation whenever seeing an active-duty soldier or veteran. 

Tuesday Tucks Me In Literature Unit Activities 

This unit is perfect for Veterans Day activities for first through third grade. Students will learn the importance of the day while focusing on academic standards. This includes learning how the book is nonfiction and understanding what that means. Additionally, students will learn about character, setting, plot, sequencing, compare/contrast, and summarizing. Since reflection is essential, students will work on letter writing and opinion writing. Importantly, students will even learn about loyalty and how brave soldiers are. 

Additional Veterans Day Activities 

Upper elementary students learn so much material every day. This means they need time to fully understand concepts. Since Veterans Day is so important, it will be helpful to incorporate multiple activities. 

Cards for Veterans: A student favorite Veterans Day activity involves making cards to send to veterans. There are so many organizations that love to collect cards to give to veterans on November 11th and throughout the year! Best of all, this is an incredible way to work on writing skills and let veterans know how thankful we are. 

Veterans Day versus Memorial Day: Upper elementary students may not know the difference between Veterans Day versus Memorial Day. Thus, this is the perfect time to teach them! It is really helpful to use a Venn diagram and informational texts to teach about this meaningful day. 

Jigsaw Lessons: Many times, upper elementary students are ready to take a bit more ownership of their learning. This is why jigsaw lessons are perfect to use when planning Veterans Day activities. Since there is so much to learn about military branches and veterans, jigsaw-style lessons are perfect to use. Students can even learn about significant American symbols such as the Statue of Liberty and American flag. Students will love taking ownership of one aspect and then teaching their classmates. 

children's books for veterans day

Taking Part in a Veterans Day Assembly: Many schools host a Veterans Day assembly to show respect to our veterans. Honestly, there are probably so many veterans in your community who would love to come in! Upper elementary students do not just have to be audience members. They can actually take part in it by singing patriotic songs. Veterans will love to hear the songs!

Veterans Day Scavenger Hunt: While reading children’s books for Veterans Day, students will learn so much. However, teachers do not want students to quickly forget this information. Therefore, they can go on a classroom scavenger hunt to help ensure classmates remember information learned in the Veterans Day unit. For instance, teachers can compose a list of review questions. Then, classmates can answer what they know. After this, they can walk around the classroom to help each other recall what they do not know. Ultimately, students are building relationships through Veterans Day activities. 

I am Kirsten Tulsian, an elementary educator with 18 years of experience as a teacher and counselor. My passion lies in empowering students to discover their inherent brilliance through the use of engaging, rigorous, and meaningful activities. I look forward to connecting with you!

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