Veterans Day is a federal holiday that is a great day to honor and celebrate the veterans who have served in the armed forces. No matter what grade level, you can choose an activity for students to do to show appreciation for the bravery and sacrifices made by veterans and active soldiers. These 21 meaningful activities for middle school students are sure to add to a memorable holiday event.
1. Our Favorite Veteran
Using this writing prompt to write about your favorite veteran is a great idea! Students can write detailed paragraphs about the life and service of their favorite veterans. If it is someone they personally know, they can conduct an interview as well.
Learn more: Mrs. Beers
2. Interview a Veteran
A great way to get students to interact and understand more about Veterans Day is by allowing them to conduct an interview with an American veteran. Invite military veterans into your classroom or school and have students take the time to interact with them. This is a great introduction activity to begin teaching more about this special holiday.
Learn more: Mrs. Beers
3. Veterans Day Timeline
Have students create a timeline of the history of Veterans Day. Have them document important things about Veterans Day and pay attention to the events throughout the years. Students could get creative and add art to the timeline as well.
Learn more: Time 4 Learning
4. Soldier Poems
This poetry activity is good for a general writing prompt for a soldier. It can be adapted to a veteran as well. This activity is great for expanding vocabulary with middle school students. Students can create final versions in digital format and print them to hang in the hallways, give to veterans, or create a class book.
Learn more: Read Write Think
5. Veterans Day Fact Find
Think of this activity as a scavenger hunt for facts! Students can learn more about the holiday of Veterans Day and more about veterans in general. Students will learn a bit more about wars and the service of veterans throughout the years.
Learn more: History
6. Write a Letter to a Soldier
Handwritten letters are always a thoughtful touch. Writing letters to veterans or making cards to veterans is a great way to practice letter writing, celebrate military service, and show appreciation for veterans. You could even invite some veterans for a classroom visit to pass these out and engage in conversation with them.
Learn more: Operation Gratitude
7. Virtual Field Trip
Conduct a virtual field trip right inside your classroom. Let students explore veterans memorials, war sites, and other famous landmarks that may add to the experience. Tour these locations and let students see some of the most famous landmarks right from their own seats.
Learn more: Team Building
8. Videos for Facts
Let students watch videos to see videos that will help them learn more about veterans and their holiday. There are several videos that will show cartoon formats and other age appropriate videos to make learning more accessible and engaging for these learners.
Learn more: Homeschool Pop
9. Video Scavenger Hunt
Create some scavenger hunt sheets for students to use in the digital world. Pair your own comprehension questions with these videos to help students engage with content and help them learn more about veterans, the battles they served in, and the holiday to honor them.
Learn more: Olliewood
10. Create Your Own Veterans Day ABC book
Using this book or another similar alphabet book as a model, have students work together or create their own alphabet book. They should include the theme of veterans or soldiers and work to create a book that showcases many aspects about veterans.
Learn more: Amazon
11. Writing Response
This beautiful book, written by the famous Eve Bunting, is a great resource to use when teaching about Veterans Day. The illustrations help paint a vivid picture of what is happening. This book is ideal for using with a writing response for students.
Learn more: Amazon
12. Poppy Craft
This poppy craft is great to use for Veterans Day. As students learn about the significance of poppies, they can create these beautiful and creative poppy crafts. Individualized and unique, these poppies are a great reminder of the sacrifice soldiers made for us.
Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning
13. Veterans Pins
Let students craft a nice gift for veterans. Using beads and safety pins, students can create simple, patriotic pins for veterans to wear. These would be nice thank you gifts to give to veterans who attend your class or school program!
Learn more: Lifestyle
14. Coffee Filter Poppies
Another poppy craft, these are made from coffee filters. These allow some creativity and for individual spins to make them unique. Many different poppies are beautifully put together to showcase the sacrifice veterans made back in World War I.
Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning
15. Create A Care Package
Knowing that some veterans live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, care packages are a great activity for students. They can make crafts, write heartfelt letters and include some nice goodies for local veterans to enjoy.
Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning
16. Sergeant Stubby
This movie is a sweet tribute to a soldier dog. You can use the video together with comprehension questions and literacy activities to teach across the curriculum. Students will enjoy the content of this story as well.
Learn more: Homeschool Super Freak
17. Wall of Honor
Creating a wall of honor is a great idea in general, but an especially nice touch if you are having a class or school program to honor veterans. Let students bring photos of veterans in their families to include as well.
Learn more: Pinterest
18. Veteran's Day Poems
Let students express creativity with free write poems. Allow them to choose the type of poems and the artwork to accompany them. Students can create themed poems specific to wars for veterans or about the holiday to honor them, or any other theme that ties in as well.
Learn more: It's about Time Teachers
19. In Flanders Field Poem
This is a great way for middle schoolers to learn more about World War I and the significance of poppies. This is a poetry activity that will work really well in conjunction with artwork showcasing the poppies. This will make a great display for a Veterans Day program.
Learn more: Homeschool Lessons
20. Word Collages
Creating these word collages is a great way to honor contributions veterans made with their service. Choose a famous or local veteran and trace a silhouette and cut out words from magazines to create a word collage. Let students be creative with their designs, fonts, and colors!
Learn more: Cassiedahl
21. Veterans Day Art
Pair this Americana art with patriotic songs! This would be great if you have an assembly or invite veterans to visit your classroom. Let creative art happen with children from the elementary classroom through the 8th grade! Adding a Veterans Day Celebration to your school calendar is a great way to honor this annual holiday.
Learn more: Upper Elementary Snapshots
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