Celebrating Flag Day with Young Kids

As far as exciting holidays for kids go, Flag Day probably sits right above Arbor Day for most people. The day originated in the 1880s as a way to get school kids in Wisconsin to celebrate “Flag Birthday.” The day commemorates the flag and promotes proper education of young children for proper behavior.

Like all arcane holidays, it is important to help your kids grasp the importance of the flag, what it means to the country, military members and more. A good way to explain this symbolism to young kids could be to use the National Anthem at a sporting event as an example of the reverence much of the country has for the flag.

If possible, attend a flag burning ceremony to see how a flag is properly retired. In this same vein, June 14 is also the army’s birthday. If there is a local organization, attending one could be a fun way to give kids some more perspective on the armed forces.

Take a few minutes to focus on all flags. Instead of just focusing on the United States’ flag, show kids states’ flags and flags of other countries. It can be eye-opening and fun for kids to see how many kinds of flags exist.

For a fun, family-friendly celebration, print out a few flags and grab some crayons or colored pencils. This coloring activity is a great chance for parents and kids to do something together while parents explain the symbolism behind the stars, stripes and colors of the flag.

Print out a bunch of templates and let kids color their own versions of the flag, then ask them why they chose the colors they did. This is a fun exercise to get them to think about the colors they chose and what colors mean on a flag.

Next, take the creativity a step further and have kids design their own flags. They can design them for themselves, family, school or anything else they want to represent. This is a fun way to get kids to think about the ways we use symbols in our everyday life.

If you have a lot of craft supplies, up the ante by having kids who are old enough cut out and make their own small flags. Like the other crafts, make sure to ask the kids what the flags represent.