10 Family Activities to Commemorate Memorial Day
by PCSgrades Staff - May 14th, 2022
Memorial Day signals the beginning of the summer season: barbecues, trips to the beach, catching fire flies, eating ice cream cones and building sand castles. But more importantly, it is also a day to remember those who served in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice.
With all the summer fanfare, sometimes in the middle of a military move, it can be difficult to observe the historical significance of the day, especially for our children. Below are some ideas for ways your family can honor and remember the true meaning of the day.
10 ways military families commemorate Memorial Day
1. Visit your local Veteran’s cemetery or war memorial
Many cemeteries put flags on all the graves. Additionally, you can check for local volunteer opportunities with Scout troops or religious groups to help place flags on gravestones. This is a powerful and reflective way to spend the day.
2. Attend a Memorial Day parade or memorial service
Many towns host respectful, patriotic events, especially in areas around military bases. You can also watch the National Memorial Day Parade on television.
3. Visit a military museum or battlefield
Depending where you are stationed, there may be nearby museums honoring your service member's branch, a particular period in history, or a memorial to a specific battle. This is an opportunity for the whole family to be inspired by the sacrifices of those who served in the military.
4. Visit a Veterans hospital
Yes, we know that Memorial Day honors the dead, and that Veterans Day (in November) honors all those who served. But many of today's living Veterans have someone they remember on Memorial Day, so this is a great day to listen to their stories. Call ahead to see if donations like homemade baked goods are allowed. Or collect books and movies to donate.
5. Have the kids create a card for a deployed service member
If you know a military family going through deployment, contact them to see how you can sponsor their unit or send something uplifting overseas. Don't know anyone deployed? These websites offer information on how to send care packages and letters: A Million Thanks, or Any Soldier.
6. Family movie night to learn military history
Memorial Day commemorates those who died in any war throughout American history. So take a quick refresher course on how many there were, which countries were visited, and which battles had the biggest sacrifices. In the weeks surrounding Memorial Day, the History Channel as well as The Military Channel run shows that highlight our military history.
7. Turn on the red, white and blue around the house!
Decorate with flags and other patriotic items. Get patriotic craft ideas from any number of websites. Plan a snack for the kids featuring red, white, and blue foods--then use it as a conversation-starter for the reasons we commemorate Memorial Day. If you have a flag pole, fly the flag at half-staff from dawn until 12 noon.
8. Buy a poppy
Poppies became associated with Memorial Day through the John McCrae poem “In Flanders Fields," commemorating the sacrifices of World War I. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) take donations for poppies. For the past 92 years, poppy donations have gone to rehab and service programs for disabled vets.
9. Participate in the National Moment of Remembrance
On Memorial Day, Americans are asked to pause whatever they are doing for one minute at 3 PM, local time, as a sign of national unity.
10. Reach out to Gold Star Families
Memorial Day is a difficult day for anyone who has lost a spouse, sibling, child, or family member because of their military service. Ask how you can honor their memory, say their name, and ensure their sacrifice isn't forgotten.
Take the time to commemorate Memorial Day
These are ten easy ideas for commemorating Memorial Day as a family, even if you are in the process of a military move. However you choose to mark the day and the long weekend that goes with it, make sure your family plans a few moments that allow you to pause, honor, and remember.
