Veterans Day is a special holiday that’s celebrated annually in America on 11 November. People from across the nation join together on this heartfelt day to show their gratitude to the veterans of the United States Armed Forces. With our amazing collection of Veterans Day Videos and crafts, you’ll be able to introduce your kiddos to the significance behind this holiday and how these brave individuals put their lives on the line to serve their country.
1. Veterans Day Animation from BrainPOP
Can your students tell the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day? Or do they know that America has over 20 million military veterans? This fact-filled video from BrainPOP will explain it all! They’ll discover everything they need to know about Veterans Day while also exploring lesser-known facts like the risks that service members face.
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2. Nuggets of Information: Veterans Day for Kids
Bald Beagle makes terrific videos for younger children, so this video will be perfect for your lower elementary learners. They’re sure to be amused by the hilarious chicken nugget that’ll teach them what a veteran actually is and why they should always be grateful for service members each day (and not just on Veterans Day!).
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3. Veterans Day: Thank you!
It’s super important to appreciate all that military veterans do for their country, and this video is a fantastic way to show your kids why. Invite them to pay attention to this informative video by Scholastic where they’ll discover key facts about Veterans Day, such as what a veteran is and how the armed forces keep us safe.
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4. Our Amazing Military!
Your children will learn a ton of new knowledge about American military history with this intriguing video. It’s packed full of fantastic clips of planes, ships, tanks, and even satellites, complete with information that’s clearly presented. They’ll even be able to see a hovercraft, which we’re sure they’ll be crazy about!
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5. Military Children
Having parents in the military can be really tough on kids of all ages. If you have pupils with parents in the military they’ve probably experienced the heartache of moving every few years and leaving their friends behind. But military life also has its upsides and this relatable video about life as a military kid is one that we guarantee will resonate with your class.
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6. Soldiers Returning Home
What does every soldier want? To be reunited with their family. What does every family want? To know their loved ones are safe. This compilation video will clearly show your children the pain and joy of soldiers returning home and will allow them to see the sacrifices that soldiers and their families make to keep us safe.
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7. Veterans: Heroes in our Neighborhood
Treat your little ones to a Storytime with Tristan where she’ll dazzle them with an emotional tale by Valeria Pfundstein called “Heroes In Our Neighborhood”. It’s a beautifully written story about people in our communities who were once in the armed forces and it’s a really heartwarming way to teach your younger children about Veterans Day.
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8. A Veterans Day Story
Treat your young minds to a captivating read-aloud where they’ll discover how a few middle school students learned the significance of Veterans Day. This group of kids isn’t very interested in military history as Veterans Day, to them, isn’t a fun holiday like Christmas or Halloween. But when Grandad Bud visits their school and tells them all about World War 2, their attitudes change and they become eager to learn more about November 11.
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9. Battleship: A Veterans Day Game
Here’s a fun-filled game that’ll make a wonderful addition to your regular Veterans Day Activities. Invite your learners to take part in a thrilling game of Battleship where they’ll need to throw balls and control a moving object. Bragging rights will go to the team that uses strategic thinking and teamwork to keep their “cargo” safe from their opponents.
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10. Veterans Day Musical Activity
Get your kiddos moving and grooving on Veterans Day with this musical activity. Encourage them to follow commands as they’re prompted to march, salute, and follow orders. It’ll make an awesome addition to your Veterans Day festivities and it also makes a super fun way to challenge your students and teach them more about our armed forces.
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11. How to Draw a Soldier Saluting
Here’s an engaging video that’s sure to pique the interest of the artists in your classroom. Have them follow along with this simple video that will teach them how to create a cool picture of a soldier. With clear instructions that make it super easy to follow, your budding Picassos will create dazzling works of art to celebrate November 11.
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12. Write a Letter to a Soldier
Teach your littles the importance of saying thanks by having them write a letter to a soldier this Veterans Day. Simply start by having them watch this video for inspiration where they’ll see real-life soldiers’ reactions to reading letters of thanks that they received for their service.
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13. Soldiers Coming Home to Dogs
This heartwarming video is sure to put a smile on every face in your class. Not only do families miss their loved ones, but dogs do too! Your pupils will be able to witness the moment when dogs greet their owners after being away for long periods of time.
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14. Soldiers with PTSD
This video will showcase an amazing lesson to your class where they’ll learn about the role that service dogs play in helping veterans. They’ll meet Chad, who was one of the many military veterans who had come close to his breaking point after returning from Afghanistan until his service dog Norman helped him turn his life around.
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15. Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a sacred place as it’s the location where we remember soldiers who died in service of their country, but were never found. Have your children watch this video from CNN that shows the tomb guards and the world-famous rituals that they perform to show respect to those who died in service of America.
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16. Women Veterans
Did your class know that there are over 64,000 women in the U.S. Army? Inform them about the important role that women play in keeping America safe with this video that’s a touching tribute to many female veterans.
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17. A Veterans Day Song for Kindergarten
If you’ve got a class full of kindergarteners, you can never go wrong with The Kiboomers! This catchy song will make a fabulous introduction to Veterans Day for your young children and will teach them how to say thank you to the soldiers who keep America safe.
18. The History of Veterans Day
Your kids will discover all the selfless acts of service that the military provides to America. Have them engage with this informative video, where they’ll learn all about the different branches of the United States Army and the badges that represent each branch. It also mentions various memorials that have been erected in honor of military veterans and explains a few traditional ways that Veterans Day is celebrated.
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19. Veteran’s Day Song Using Sign Language
This amazing video is specially dedicated to veterans as it contains a beautiful song that’s been developed using sign language. From elementary to middle school students, this song is a great way to help your pupils say “thank you” to those who served their country in an extraordinary way.
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20. Hero Mom
Do you have kids in your class whose parents have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Army or Special Forces? This adorable and informative book may just be the most heartfelt way to pay tribute to their parents as well as to educate the rest of your class as to why we celebrate veterans.
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21. Why Do We Celebrate Veterans Day?
Introduce your kiddos to the importance of Veterans Day and why we choose to pay tribute to our veterans. Providing a salute to their service, this video includes different facts that’ll help your young minds understand what makes Veterans Day so special.
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22. The Veteran’s March
Involve your children in this Veterans Day celebration where you’ll have them perform a veteran’s march! They’ll be able to easily pick up on the words that honor military veterans before you encourage them to perform it or record them performing it to share with a veteran.
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23. America’s White Table (Read-Aloud)
Your curious kids will love this read-aloud of America’s White Table. It’s a story that focuses on honoring those veterans who gave their lives in the line of duty. They’ll meet Katie, the main character, who’s been asked to set out a table for her uncle John who passed away during his service. As Katie goes along, your students will be able to learn with her as her mom explains the purpose of each item that’s set on the table.
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24. You Are Our Heros (Lyric Video)
Here’s an uplifting song that your learners can sing along to on Veterans Day! Encourage them to appreciate the gravity of the lyrics by inviting them to ask questions about the meaning of each line. After analyzing the song, allow them the opportunity to learn the lyrics before having them sing the song in honor of Veterans Day.
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25. How to Draw the American Flag
Drawing the American flag is a wonderful way to teach your kids about patriotism. Guide them through this easy exercise, making sure they’re using the correct colors, before prompting a conversation as to how they think the flag came to be and why it’s such a powerful symbol for America and those who serve and are currently serving their country.
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26. My First Book of Military Heroes
My First Book of Military Heroes is perfect for your younger learners who are just learning about Veterans Day. They’ll discover each type of service in the military and they’ll get a good idea of what it looks like when people risk their lives to protect their country.
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27. Kindergarten Veterans Day Craft
Here’s a Veterans Day craft that your little learners are sure to enjoy! After reviewing different shapes, pass out a bunch of precut shapes to each of your little crafters. Then, encourage them to piece together their soldier by using glue to stick each shape to a piece of paper. Once complete, invite them to add some personality to their soldier by adding a face before having them finish it off by writing “Happy Veterans Day”.
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28. Salute!: A Veterans Day PE Game
As your students learn more about Veterans Day, it’s important to give them a brain break. What better way to do so than with some physical education? In Salute, you’ll challenge your players to complete a different action for each branch of service. For instance, you could yell “salute” which will prompt them to run back to the beginning of their line until you shout “at ease”.
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29. A Veterans Day Flipbook
Engage your young minds’ creativity by having them whip up this heartwarming flipbook to say thank you to veterans on Veterans Day. Allow them to fill their books with color and heartfelt words as you take the opportunity to explain the importance of the day to them and why it’s celebrated.
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30. A Veterans Day Activity
Here’s an alternative method that you can use if you’d like to have your kiddos craft an American flag. In this activity, you’ll task them with designing their flags using foam brushes to paint the stripes. Then, allow them to use cotton swabs to adorn their creation with the stars of the flag.
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31. A Veterans Art Lesson
Sticking with the theme of art, we’ve found a beautiful tutorial for your kids that they can use to create a poppy flower. Encourage them to follow along with this video’s simple instructions to have them create a stunning flower using a Sharpie and a few watercolors.
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32. How to Draw A Marine
If your children have already mastered the art of drawing soldiers, why not have them try their hand at drawing a marine? This fantastic video will walk them through a step-by-step process that they can use to bring their marines to life! Afterward, you can even explain the role of marine soldiers in the U.S. Army to introduce them to the service that they provide to their country.
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33. Veterans Day Poems
This heartfelt Veterans Day video was specially created as a thank you to veterans. Your class will watch as each student in this video recites part of “Yankee Doodle” in honor of Veterans Day. The video then continues as each kid takes the opportunity to say one line of the national anthem of the United States.
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