Patriot Day – To Honor The 9/11 Heroes
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Patriot Day was created to remember and honor those killed and injured on that terrible day of September 11, 2001, when the New York Twin Towers and other places on American soil were attacked and destroyed by terrorists, changing our lives and history forever.
Since, in my opinion, preschoolers are too young to understand the full significance of this tragic day in American history, it is still good for them to know what happened and to use this opportunity to honor those who felt the consequences of that day, focusing more on patriotism than on tragedy.
This post includes activities to help your preschoolers understand what it means to be a patriot and honor those who fought and lost their lives during 9/11, as well as those who keep on fighting to keep us safe and protect us today. I have included a FREE printables pack that you might find useful for this purpose.
Patriot Day Activities for Preschoolers
Classroom Decor – since the purpose of Patriot Day is to honor and remember the 9/11 heroes, start by hanging a patriotic banner. I created one that says “We Remember”, which I’ve included in the FREE Patriot Day pack and you can download it at the end of this post. Continue decorating with your children’s patriotic artwork.
Explain What is a Patriot – according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a patriot is “one who loves and supports his or her country”. Explain in a way they can understand what happened on 9/11 and how those hundreds of men and women fought to save lives. Bring it to this day, relating to what is happening with the pandemic, and how so many heroes are still fighting to keep us safe and protect us.
Invite a Patriot – I believe that, no matter how much we know, we can’t talk to children about patriotism and what it means without that experience. For this reason, it would be great if you could invite a veteran or local hero to talk to the children about his or her experience and work.
Patriotic Songs – Sing patriotic songs during the entire day or week. My favorite ones are God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood, This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie, and Star-Spangled Banner by John Stafford Smith and Francis Scott Key. I think they are not just beautiful, but make you feel proud and full of hope.
I’ve included printables with the lyrics for these songs in the FREE Patriot Day pack, which you can download at the end of this post. You can also use them to sing along with these videos I found on YouTube.
Honor a Hero Cards – remind your children what patriotism is and have them make a card with a thank-you note to patriots from the community. It could be a police officer, a nurse, a doctor, a firefighter, etc. I included two card templates with the words “We Remember”, one with the colors of the American Flag another one with black letters, and a set with patriot clip art. They are part of the FREE Patriot Day pack, which you can download at the end of this post.
American Flag – give your children a piece of white construction paper, a blue construction paper square, and red construction paper strips. Have them paste the blue square and red stripes to form the American flag. Provide gold star stickers to decorate the blue square. Another idea is to have them paint the blue square and red stripes with tempera paint, and add the stars when the paint dries. Then you can paste the flag to a jumbo craft stick and use it for the parade.
Star-Spangled Slime – this patriotic slime is easy to make using only school glue, liquid starch, and food coloring. It will keep your preschoolers busy for a very long time; it’s a good fine motor exercise, and it’s fun to make.
Patriotic Hand Print Flag Craft – this is the perfect craft to make as a gift for a patriot that the children might know or choose. After you paint each child’s hand, you can have the child print his or her hand on a piece of blue construction paper. Once dry, you can paste it on a larger piece of construction paper in another color or frame. For this purpose, I think you can add the words “We Remember” or “Thank You” before the child gives it to a hero of his or her choosing.
Shape Fire Engine Craft – after you talk about the firefighters who worked so hard during 9/11 and lost their lives, you can have your children work on this craft, which is also a great way to practice shape recognition, scissor skills, and visual discrimination. Before you do this activity, it might be a good idea to visit a fire station or invite the fire department to the school with a fire truck to talk to the children about their work and gear. I do it every year and the children love it, and they have the opportunity to see and even sit on the truck themselves, and also see how much safety gear the firefighters have to wear. I believe it gives your children the opportunity to appreciate and admire the important work firefighters do even more.
Patriotic Dress-Up and Parade – have the children come to school in blue, red, and white clothes, and use the American flags they made to have a parade around the school. If you are a preschool teacher and your school allows it, you can also take your dress-up children to deliver their cards personally to a local hero place, such as a police or fire station, or a hospital. Even if you are a parent, you can do the same, especially if you know a patriot in your community personally.
Read Books About Patriots – one of the best ways, in my opinion, to have preschoolers understand whatever you want to teach them in a way they will love is by reading books. These are some you can read during the Patriot Day honoring celebration.
- This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie. This classic ballad is now brought to life in a richly illustrated book and has become one of America’s best-loved and most timely folk songs, inspiring activism and patriotism for all.
- A is for America by Greg Paprocki. An engaging collection of 26 illustrations featuring fireworks, parades, the American flag, and iconic moments from American history.
- Why Do We Celebrate Veterans Day? by Grace Houser. With eye-catching photographs, accessible language for beginning readers, and a picture glossary to help build vocabulary, this book teaches children to recognize and be thankful for our nation’s veterans, who are willing to sacrifice their well-being for the sake of the entire country.
- America The Beautiful by Cholena Rose Dare. With gorgeous maps of official landmarks, national parks, state birds, and flowers, this book is packed with fun facts, familiar patriotic songs, and a heartwarming message that teaches about prominent American artists, innovations, and food that made history and continue to shape our lives.
Pin It For Later
If you are in a rush and don’t have time to read the post and download the printable but want to save it for later, pin this to one of your Pinterest boards.
If you want more patriotic activities, check out my FREE 4th of July Celebration Math Pack, which includes 17 pages of different types of Math printables, my FREE 4th of July Word Wall Cards that include 16 words (in English and Spanish), and my FREE 4th of July Beginning Sounds Activity.
I hope you enjoy these ideas to help you honor the 9/11 patriots with your preschoolers during Patriot Day, and don’t forget to grab your FREE Patriot Day pack by clicking on the link below.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.S. Please let me know if you like any of these ideas, if they work for you, or if you think I should add or replace something. My goal is to help you in any way I can, and I don’t like anything better than posting something you might find useful. Also, if you have different ideas and want to share them, I would love to post them too.
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