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The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) and Child Care Aware do not endorse nor are we responsible for the information or materials posted on any of the resource’s websites.National Military Appreciation Month
May 06, 2008
Chances are that at some point in your life, you have known someone in the military. Whether it was a family member, friend, classmate, co-worker, or neighbor, you were aware of people serving our country.
During this time of war, your child, or his friends in child care, may have the same experience. However, your young child may not know or fully understand what it means to be a member of the military, or what exactly it is that the military does.
One way to help your child better understand the military is to take advantage of National Military Awareness Month in May. Congress chose this month to recognize all military members in all branches, past and present, active or retired. There are various days throughout the month for different aspects of the military, which may feature different celebrations. You can check with local resources to see what might be going on in your area at these times.
- Loyalty Day, May 1, is a day for recognizing American freedom and expressing one's loyalty to America.
- VE Day, May 8, recognizes the acceptance of the surrender of Nazi Germany, by the World War II Allies.
- Military Spouse Day, May 9, it to identify and honor spouses of US military men and women.
- Armed Forces Day, May 17, celebrates all branches of the service on the same day. Each branch of the military tends to celebrate their particular branch on specific days during the year, as well.
- Memorial Day, May 26, is a holiday honoring all military men and women who have passed away while serving their country.
The thought behind the above days of recognition may hard for children to understand. Here are some suggestions for activities that may help children better understand the military. You can participate as a family. Some activities may be appropriate for your child's child care program.
These suggestions were adapted from the National Military Appreciation Month website:
- Invite a military member to speak at your child care center.
- Teach your child the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem.
- Send cards and pictures to military members and/or veterans that may be in a local veteran's hospital.
- Send cards and letters to military members currently serving in armed conflict.
- Find patriotic books or songs to share with children.
- Go to a museum and find a military exhibit.
- Attend any community events that may be taking place.
For more information on National Military Appreciation Month, go to www.nmam.org.
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