Veterans Day is a special opportunity to help our youngest learners understand the importance of honoring those who have served our country. While kindergarten and first grade students may be too young to grasp the full scope of military service, they can absolutely begin learning about respect, gratitude, and community,,, and that’s exactly what Veterans Day is all about.
Why It’s Important to Teach Veterans Day in Early Grades
- Build empathy and gratitude by learning about people who serve and protect others.
- Develop civic awareness and understand that they are part of a larger community and nation.
- Celebrate patriotism in positive, age-appropriate ways through songs, stories, and activities that make learning both meaningful and fun.
- Help students see themselves as thankful citizens who can express appreciation through words, art, and actions.
Engaging, Age-Appropriate Veterans Day Activities for K–1
To make your Veterans Day celebration both educational and engaging, here is a Veterans Day Bundle for Kindergarten and First Grade packed with differentiated, hands-on resources your students will love!
1. Veterans Day Mini Books (2 Reading Levels + Illustrated Word Wall Cards)
Perfect for small groups or whole-class shared reading! Your students will enjoy learning simple facts about Veterans Day while practicing sight words and fluency. The illustrated word wall cards make vocabulary come alive.
16 Veterans’ Day and Patriotic Poems & Songs (Color and B/W)
Perfect for your Veterans Day program or morning meeting. 16 engaging poems and songs… some about Veterans Day and others celebrating the flag and patriotism. Sing to familiar tunes or use as chants! Students can use the finger puppets to act out the poems and songs! Includes large patriotic images to glue onto shared reading charts.
15 EDITABLE Patriotic Themed Activities
Differentiate with ease! These editable templates allow you to add your own sight words, cvc words, phonemes, letters, or math facts — making them perfect for centers or skill review. Use over and over again year after year for any Patriotic Holiday!
4. Veterans’ Day Skip Counting Activities
Color-coded sets make organization a breeze:
- Counting by ones to 10 (green)
- Counting by ones to 20 (pink)
- Counting by ones to 100 (yellow)
- Counting by tens to 100 (lavender)
- Counting by fives to 100 (blue)
- Counting by twos to 100 (orange)
Students practice number patterns while reviewing patriotic vocabulary!
5. Patriotic Addition Center
Practice 167 addition facts to 20 in this fun, colorful math center. Great for differentiating by skill level. Perfect for Veterans Day or for any Patriotic Holiday! It can grow with your students from Veterans Day to Presidents’ Day to Memorial Day!
6. Veterans Day ABC 123 Center
Students can sequence letters and numbers, match capitals to lowercase, and put numbers 1–10 or 1–20 in order. Recording sheets and awards are included to make assessment easy.
Bring Learning and Patriotism Together
This Veterans Day Bundle for Kindergarten and First Grade is designed to make teaching about Veterans Day simple, engaging, and meaningful. Whether you’re focusing on literacy, math, or character education, these hands-on resources will help your students connect to the holiday in a developmentally appropriate way.
Teach. Sing. Create. Honor
Your students will love learning about our heroes — and you’ll love how easy it is to integrate these patriotic lessons into your week!
👉 Check out the Veterans Day Bundle for K–1 on Teachers Pay Teachers
