Celebrate patriotic holidays. Independence Day, Flag Day and Veterans Day just to name a few. Make sure you explain to them on these holidays why we don’t work or go to school. It’s not just a day off. Participate in parades and flag ceremonies. To put on your own neighborhood parade check out our guest post!
Take them to historically significant sites. The State Capital, museums. For more ideas, visit your state’s website. If you have the means, make a family trip to places rich in American history. Washington D.C., Boston, Gettysburg etc.
Expose your children to American artists, inventors, songwriters and activists. Rosa Parks, John Audubon, Benjamin Franklin or Mark Twain.
Teach your children the importance of voting. Explain to them the rights we have as American Citizens, and why it’s important to uphold them. Politics aren’t the easiest thing to explain to children, but you can show them that they can have a voice and that using it is important. You can have family meetings that run like a democracy- you can vote on things such as what movie to watch, dinner menus and activities.
Instill a sense of civic duty in your kids. Have them visit the elderly, plant trees, help with food drives or recycle. Volunteering can show them that they too have a responsibility to contribute and make their country a better place.
For Family Night:
Teach them how to fold a flag.
Teach them what the stars and stripes mean and also the red, white and blue colors. Red: courage, blue: justice, and white: purity.
Stars symbolize each of the 50 states, and the 13 stripes symbolizes the first 13 colonies.
You could learn the pledge of allegiance together, and explain to them what it means.
Sing patriotic songs.
Some great kids books on patriotism:
Our Fifty States: A Family Adventure Across America
by Lynne Cheney
$13 Amazon
We The People: The Story of the Constitution
by Lynne Cheney
$13 Amazon
Talk about the President. Ask them what they would do if they were elected. Talk about specific presidents and what they did.
Don’t Know Much About the Presidents
by Kenneth Davis
Amazon $7
For older kids, find a copy of the Constitution, and Bill of Rights and ask them which rights are most important to them.
Tell your kids your personal feelings about our country and why it’s important to you.
For a treat make Mariel’s “Death by Special K”, or my Pioneer Taffy.
~ Jessica
Great ideas…Pennsylvania is a pretty patriotic state too…with the Liberty Bell and the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and all! Good stuff!
Cute, that really is a good idea to do with the family. You’re the best!
These are good ideas for a patriotic family night, but I have to say that I think it’s weird (now that I live in Utah) that the same festivities are used for the 4th and the 24th of July. People seem to forget that the LDS Church wasn’t always super patriotic and that the pioneers actually came to Utah to get as far away from the USA as they could … just saying.
Yep, that’s true. Not super patriotic AT THE TIME, and with good reason. If that were forgotten, the 24th would not be celebrated.
Fireworks are used all the time to celebrate at county fairs, special events, etc. It just so happens that both days are in July, that’s all. My kids are all about two doses of awesome fireworks and more festivities.
I don’t think it’s weird at all to celebrate the 24th with fireworks. Fireworks are used to celebrate a lot of other things besides patriotism. I believe we celebrate the freedoms pioneers brought after they were persecuted for being LDS. I think I would be fleeing as well if I couldn’t choose what I wanted to believe. I think it’s a great holiday to celebrate the freedom we have and to be grateful for what the pioneers brought to our State.
My family and I love having another day to be able to light fireworks and get together with good friends and family. Thanks for the fun tips!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. It’s so important to teach our kids these things 🙂
Glad we could feature “Or So She Said” on thecraftingchicks.com today. You girls are great.
Isn’t it great that the 24th of July has evolved into another day that we can celebrate being an American and the freedoms we enjoy! It a day we celebrate our Constitional right of Freedom of Religion and remember the pioneers, pursecuted for their beliefs, who settled this State. Happy 24th everyone!!