Remembrance Day and Veterans Day – Giving children a way to relate through gratitude and a commitment to peace

A number of teacher bloggers have linked our wide variety of Remembrance Day lessons! I am honoured to be a part of this group, and highly recommend that you check out their blog posts!

Remembrance Day or Veterans Day is on November 11th.  Last year, I wrote about Remembrance Day stories for young children that helps them understand the history and stories of veterans, their families, and those who have lost loved ones in war.

Stories can also give kids a way to make a connection between history, global events and to relate them to their own lives. today.

While the middle three books are mentioned in last year’s post, I’d like to talk about Todd Parr’s books, briefly.

The Thankful Book highlights special and everyday moments in a child’s day and gives thanks for  them. This leads to rich conversation about how different things are for children living in wartime, or in a war torn area.

I had a grade one student in my class who had fled from Syria with his family only months before Remembrance Day. He literally found joy in every friend he made, and lesson he learned.

The Peace Book is filled with examples of small, subtle ways that children are creating peace. This is an action book. It gives kids very concrete examples of things they can do now to contribute to a peaceful world.

Remembrance Day is a time to thank those who are responsible for the freedom we are so grateful to have.

We can show our appreciation by actively working for peace. By being kind to one another.

Years ago, I was struggling to find a way to bring these ideas together for my students, and it was in hearing Kermit the Frog sing The Rainbow Connection that it seemed to come together in song. I wrote new words for my students and I to sing along to the tune of The Rainbow Connection.

Click here or on the image below to download free sample pages of this Remembrance Day / Veterans Day resource for young children.  I hope your students gain a deeper sense of a gratitude and commitment to peace this Remembrance Day / Veterans Day!

Be sure to click the links below to visit these fantastic Canadian teachers and read about the creative and flexible Remembrance Day lessons they use in their own classrooms!

Thank you so much to Kristy from Two Peas and a Dog for organizing this link-up!

I hope you find this post useful for your November 11th planning!

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