1. .
In the midst of the many upcoming patriotic holidays, it is a great time to
teach children about patriotism. Patriotism means love and devotion to
one's country. Although patriotism can be shown in a variety of ways,
it’s important to begin with the basics. Here are some suggestions to
help kids learn about patriotism:
1. Talk with children about how people express patriotism in many
different ways. Why do you love the United States? How is it different
from other countries? What makes it a great place to live? What could
we do to improve it?
2. See how many flags you can find flying in your local community. Discuss that the fifty stars
represent our fifty states and the thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. A star
was added to the flag on the 4th of July after the admission of each new state to the Union .
3. Show children how to fold a flag. (Instructions on back)
4. Volunteer at a local veterans hospital. Talk to patients about their lives and experiences and
include children in the conversation.
5. Read the Declaration of Independence to children. Have them
pretend they are starting their own country and try writing
their own Declaration of Independence.
6. Read through the Bill of Rights and discuss why they think
our founding fathers thought these rights were important.
Develop a Bill of Rights for your home.
7. Write a Soldier a thank you note or a letter. There are many
programs that connect you to Soldiers.
8. Watch documentaries on American history together.
9. Help a deployed Soldier’s Family. Contact a local base, National Guard, or Reservist location and
ask what you can do.
10. Make sure that you vote whenever there is the opportunity. Bring
your children with you and share with them how fortunate we are to
have this right.
11. Talk about your own Family history. Research which ancestors were
veterans or were involved in the armed forces.
12. Design a Family tree or timeline to trace your Family’s history and
immigration to the United States. Discuss why your ancestors
immigrated to America.
13. Go to a 4th of July or other patriotic parade. Participate in the event if
possible.
14. Sing patriotic songs together. Write down the lyrics and discuss what
they mean.
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2. 15. Talk about the sacrifices civilians made during
past war times, such as rationing gas. Share
how many women worked for the first time
during World War II.
16. Eat MREs (Meal Ready to Eat) for dinner one
evening. (MREs can be purchased at camping
stores.) Discuss the sacrifices our troops have
to make when deployed.
17. Acknowledge the reason behind a national
holiday. What is its history? How did it come
about?
18. When you see a member of the armed forces or a public officer say thank you.
19. Say the Pledge of Allegiance.
20. Ask children to think about ways they can express their love and devotion to our country.
These simple activities are fun and interesting ways to share patriotism with children
and teach them the history of our nation.
How to Fold the Flag
Fold the flag in half width-wise
Fold the flag in half width-wise again
Fold up a triangle, starting at the striped end ... and repeat ...
... until only the end of the union is exposed.
Then fold down the square into a triangle and tuck inside the folds.
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(703) 696-1229 (703) 805-5683
YOUR PARTNERS IN READINESS