On Memorial Day, many families will participate in parades, cookouts, or beach trips. At Della Automotive Group, we want you to know that each activity is a valid way to recognize the holiday. We also want to help you combine those activities with other practices that can help your children understand the significance of Memorial Day. So, here are a few ideas to help you explain the meaning of Memorial Day to your children.
Define a Memorial
If you have teenage children, there is likely no need to define Memorial Day to them. You can simply have a conversation about what it means to them. With younger children, you can start by defining the word “memorial”. Tell them that a memorial is something that honors a person who has died. Then give them examples that they can recognize. For instance, if they have a pet that has passed and a rock serves as their gravestone, that counts as a memorial. From there, you can go further by explaining that Memorial Day is to honor soldiers who have died.
Explain How Memorial Day Started
You can piggyback off of your example of a memorial to let your kids know how Memorial Day began. Tell them that we used to call the holiday Decoration Day. On this day, family members of soldiers who died would decorate their gravesites (memorials). Let them know that it was later changed to Memorial Day so that people who were too far away to decorate could still participate by doing something to remember the soldiers.
You might also like: Dine At Downtown Social
Ways to Remember the Soldiers
Now that they understand that Memorial Day is a holiday we use to honor soldiers who died, here are a few traditions to help you do that.
- A Moment of Silence: Every year, the U.S. has a national moment of silence at 3:00 P.M. Set a reminder on your phone and take a moment of silent remembrance together.
- Support the Families of Soldiers: Many non-profit organizations help support the surviving family members of soldiers. You and your family can raise funds to send to them.
- Do Patriotic Crafts: If your child likes arts and crafts, you can find a patriotic craft to do while you discuss the meaning of Memorial Day.