Memorial Day was created after the American Civil War to honor the soldiers who had passed away. Then, it was called Decoration Day because people would decorate the resting places of soldiers. There are many ways to celebrate this holiday with young children outdoors in your children’s outdoor play area.
1. Parade – Parades have always been a fun part of Memorial Day for young children. Try putting on your own parade on the preschool playground! The children will already have great ideas for putting on a parade but here are some more ideas I’ve seen teachers use before: use outdoor musical instruments for children to play some parade music (shakers or playground drums work great), wear some Dramatic Play clothes as costumes, decorate signs to carry, and think of songs to sing. When all of your props are ready, march around the playground in your own Memorial Day parade!
2. Rock Garden – Children can paint rocks with red, white, and blue paint to make a patriotic rock garden in your children’s outdoor play area. The rocks can be moved or rearranged to make letters or pictures on the ground.
3. Windsocks – Make windsocks for your preschool playground. Decorate a blue piece of construction paper with white stars. Wrap the paper into a tube shape and use tape to hold it together. Glue red and white streamers onto one end of the paper tube, hang it up on your preschool play equipment, and observe how the wind blows the steamers around.
All of us here at The Adventurous Child hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
