As we start to catch glimpses of red poppies pinned to jackets, we are reminded that coming up soon is November 11th – Remembrance Day. In Canada, this is a day to honour all those many veterans who have served in the past, and those who currently give of themselves to protect peace for our country. In order to pay homage in regards to this day, there are a variety of things to do with your family other than to simply talk about how terrible war is (which can be quite frightening for younger children who aren’t mentally ready to think about the nastiness of war). Below I have compiled a few ideas of different ways to remember and honour the amazing men and women who deserve to be recognized for their contributions to the country we are so very lucky to be citizens of.
The Royal Canadian Legion has poppies available for anyone who would like to wear one to show their support for all the brave souls that gave of themselves to do what they felt was right for all of us and our wonderful country. If you don’t happen to find a member handing out these symbols of appreciation at the entrance to one of the places you shop, you can seek out your local branch to pick up a pin for a donation that goes towards the veterans.
Making a wreath to hang or lay at a grave or a commemorative statue (like the one in Centennial Park on Salt Spring Island) is a great way to get creative while getting your children involved in remembering. A quick search on google will give you a wide variety of ideas for creating all different kinds of wreaths (or even simple red paper poppies for the younger children or those wanting to keep things easy), or you can go straight to one creative idea we found on eHow.
Each Remembrance Day, local communities remember by holding ceremonies and parades. On Salt Spring, the procession travels to the memorial within Centennial Park in Ganges. This is a great way to get out in the community to show your support and experience a richer understanding of what it is that’s being remembered, and how others in the community are affected by war and peace.
What is peace? What does it feel like? What does it look like? What’s the opposite of peace? What does it feel like to not be peaceful? How can we help create and sustain peace in our community, in our country, in our world? Talk with your children about this very important concept. They’re our future (and current!) peacekeepers, and we want them to understand how important it is to keep a peaceful world.
If you’d like to get more personal with remembering, and you feel confident talking to your children about death and remembering the dead, paying respects at the grave of a veteran might be worth considering. In my community, the grave of Edward Newcombe Lee (who served in the First World War) rests within the Salt Spring Island Church Cemetery, and there are surely others to be found. Contacting your local Royal Canadian Legion is a good place to start if this is something you would like to do.
Beautiful origami paper cranes are a symbol of health and peace, and folding these little works of art is a great activity to center your discussions of remembrance and peace around. You can find directions for making these paper cranes here.
It is tradition in Canada to pause for two minutes of silent remembrance for our veterans and armed forces at 11:00am on November 11th. This is an easy way to pay respect, and there are a few ways to help children practice being silent (it can be done!). A squishy “stress ball” or something of the sort gives active children an outlet for their energy, and can actually be very successful – using the muscles in little hands takes far more work than you might think (that’s why it’s a good idea for little ones to take breaks frequently when practicing drawing, writing, cutting or other tactile activities that involve those hands). Or maybe giving your child a page to colour in of poppies or another related picture would work better for your family. Click here for Remembrance Day colouring images than can be printed out.
I hope you and your family can spend even a small portion of time engaging in discussions and reflections of peace this coming Remembrance Day. Let’s spread PEACE!
2 thoughts on “Remembrance Day with Kids – Understanding and Honouring Veterans”
Hannah, this is beautifully expressed and exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I included your link in my recent blog post: http://stayoutdoorshaltonmommy.com/remembrance-day-with-kids/
That’s so lovely to hear, Ash! Thank you for including me!