Veterans Day must be more than a day off school. As kindergarten and first-grade teachers, we have the unique privilege of shaping young minds and instilling values that will stay with our students for a lifetime.
Let’s explore the importance of building vocabulary in young children and share some creative ways to honor our servicemen and women in the classroom.
veterans day vocabulary
Vocabulary development is a critical component of early childhood education.
A strong vocabulary not only lays the foundation for future academic success but also fosters effective communication and helps children express themselves more clearly.
Kindergarten and first-grade are the perfect times to introduce new words and concepts to eager young learners.
1. Word Cards and Word Walls: Create a word wall in your classroom. This is an excellent visual aid for young learners. Students are provided with a word card to complete several different activities. Check out all the ideas for Word Cards in another blog post.
The more students interact with vocabulary, the more the words have meaning.
2. Storytime Adventures: Reading to your students is one of the most effective ways to expand their vocabulary. Choose a variety of books that introduce new words and ideas.
Encourage active participation by asking questions about the story and discussing new words.
The Poppy Lady is beautifully written, but it’s dense. There are a lot of details about war and history. It’s probably suited for upper primary grades and I wouldn’t read the whole book in one sitting.
Don’t Forget, God Bless our Troops by Jill Biden is also a lovely book about the bravery of our servicemen and women AND their families. This book shows how families deal with the absence and how they try to be brave while they wait.
Hero Dad by Melinda Hardin is the perfect story for kindergarten. It is written that the dad is a superhero! It does mention that the dad has a “gun.”
3. Vocabulary Games: Make learning fun by incorporating vocabulary games into your lessons. Games like “Word Bingo,” “Word Puzzles,” and “Vocabulary Scavenger Hunts” can engage students while reinforcing their word knowledge.
4. Poetry: Introducing students to a poem about Veterans Day is an easy introduction. Using the poem in the Veterans Day Set, students can interact with vocabulary and illustrations.
veterans day writing
So many activities for writing!
- Veteran Circle Map
- Complete a Read, Write, Glue, Draw
- Can/Have/Are
- Writing Sentences with Vocabulary
- Writing a Card to Operation Gratitude
- Use Vocabulary Cards to sort, write, and compare vocabulary words.
Hoping I’ve given you lots of ideas for your classroom. Make sure they know Veterans Day isn’t just a day off.
