Flag Day is a national celebration of our country’s history and the creation and symbolism of the flag itself. Often, the holiday goes unnoticed, especially in the school system since it falls in the months toward the end of the year. However, it’s important to know that there are 21 days between Flag Day and Independence Day and a lot of history to take in! That’s why these 22 Flag Day activities are perfect for your elementary students to complete and enjoy!
1. Flag Trivia
Getting students engaged with flag day trivia is a great way to start your lesson. For instance, only one state celebrates flag day as a state holiday. Who is it? Giving the kids multiple-choice answers makes it easier for them to guess!
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2. Treating The Flag Rules
Bring in a big piece of cardboard and design the borders in a fun way with flag colors. In the middle, go down a list of rules for respecting the flag. Help them find the answers and then hang the cardboard in the middle of the classroom for everyone to see.
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3. Make Your Own Parade
Flag day often has several different parades throughout the country. Work with other grades in the elementary school to create a school parade. Each grade can have its own theme where one group carries the flag, another wears the colors, and so on. They can even sing while marching!
4. Field Trip to American History Museum
Taking the class on a field trip to an American history museum is a great way to engage the kids. If you have a school near any larger cities, chances are you can find a suitable museum there. Have the kids bring a worksheet to write down ten facts.
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5. Flag Portraits
Give your students a blank outline of the American flag. Allow them to color it in. To make it harder, don’t fill in the number of stripes and stars to see how close they can get to drawing them in themselves. Take it a step further and have them label the flag’s parts.
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6. Bring In a Flag Day Fact
Before flag day, assign a homework assignment. Have them bring in a unique fact about flag day. Assign them a topic if you are worried about students bringing in the same facts.
7. What Does The Flag Mean To You?
In recent years, the flag has represented different things to different people. Giving kids a chance to express how they relate to the flag is a great way to start a conversation.
8. American History Song
There are a lot of songs to learn when it comes to America and the flag. Learning the Star Stangle Banner can be fun for the kids. Also, while learning the National Anthem, teach the kids the history behind it and why it is sung before major events.
9. Flag Day Multiplication
Bringing Flag Day into math class is never a bad idea. You can use worksheets to have the kids draw out flags in multiplication questions. For instance, in two flags X two flags, let the kids then draw out four flags. You can also give them stickers to make the activity go faster.
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10. Fill In The Flag
Instead of having the kids make their own flag, have them fill the flag with facts that they have learned. For the stripes, they can write out sentences. For the stars, you can number them and write fill-in-the-blank sentences for them to complete.
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11. Flags All Over The World
Flag day is the perfect opportunity to complete a social studies lesson by learning about flags around the world. Not only is it good for kids to see other flags, but it also helps them learn about other cultures and the meaning behind other flags.
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12. Betty Ross Reading
You can’t learn about the American flag without reading up on Betty Ross. These reading activities can be adapted for different reading levels and can be done as homework assignments or in class as a complete lesson.
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13. Flag Study Groups
Divide the kids into groups and assign each group a topic to research. Give each group a piece of cardstock and allow them to put together a presentation based on their research. Symbolism, important dates, and other topics can all be assigned.
14. Learning to Fold the Flag
Learning to fold the flag is not a bad activity to do with kids. However, it is more important to understand why folding the flag is so important to the military and our country.
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15. Poem Readings
There are plenty of ways to learn about flag day. Poem readings are a great option. There are different poems that can be dissected and analyzed in groups. Be sure to stick to a level of reading that matches your age group.
16. Virtual or In-Person Flag Day Ceremony
Depending on where you are in the country, there may be a ceremony being held for flag day near you. If so, take your students on a field trip. If not, then you can always pull up a virtual ceremony so your students can see why and who celebrates flag day!
Learn more: Teach Hub
17. Flag Murals
Allow the kids to color in and make their own flags from a template. See what they come up with and then hang their artwork around the room. You can go a step further and have them write one line about why they designed the flag the way they did.
Learn more: Teach Hub
18. Have a Guest Speaker
Bringing in someone who is a veteran or currently active in the military is a great way to kick off flag day festivities. They can talk about what the flag means to them and tell stories so that the class learns more about the symbolism of the American flag.
19. Informational Video
There are a number of videos on YouTube that explain the importance of flag day. Something a little more upbeat and cartoony is great for younger kids as it gets them engaged. For older learners, push the educational content by using a more mature and age-appropriate video.
Learn more: Hey! Guess What
20. Flag Face Painting
Sometimes it’s great to keep things light and fun. Doing some face painting for flag day can be a lot of fun for kids as they’ll enjoy having their faces painted with the flag or other patriotic symbols.
Learn more: Education World
21. Make a Patriotic Pinwheel
A cute and fun project to take home at the end of the day is a patriotic pinwheel! All you need is a pencil, a push pin, and some paper!
Learn more: Education World
22. Bake a Cake
It’s nice to bring in some sweets for the class to enjoy every once in a while. As a teacher, you can bake red, white, and blue flag cake or organize cupcakes in the form of a flag.
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