7 Fun and Educational Month of the Military Child Activities
These Month of the Military Child activities help to honor and recognize military kids.
April is the Month of the Military Child. Designated by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in 1986, this month recognizes military kids for their sacrifices and the challenges they face in their everyday lives. We have 7 engaging Month of the Military Child activities for the month ahead to help show support and appreciation to these special children.
Did you know that there are 1.6 million military kids of service members that are currently serving? Military children face many hardships, such as moving and relocating every few years, to one or both of their parents leaving for months at a time for deployments and trainings.
In the month of April, we come together to celebrate military children for their courage, resilience, and bravery. Because even though they are not the service member, their sacrifices means that they are serving, too.
Learn more about the month of the military child at the DOD (Department of Defense) official website.
Month of the military child activities to use at home or at school
Purple Up for military kids
April 15th is the official day of the military child. Make sure to wear purple on this day to celebrate the military children in your life! You can grab a purple up shirt for yourself or for your kids to celebrate this day.
Have a date night
Organize a special date night with the kids. You can do something special with each child separately, or organize something fun to do together with everyone.
You can find many fun date night ideas to do – going out to dinner, getting ice cream, seeing a movie, playing mini-golf, going bowling, or many other exciting activities. If the military base closest to you has a bowling alley, they probably have discounted prices, as well.
Create a world map
Are you a teacher? If your class has military students, you can create a huge world map and have each student color in or mark the parts of the world that they have lived in.
Similarly, you can also have each child work on their own individual map that they color or mark off in a special way to show the places that they have lived.
Alternatively, you can also have your kids use a scratch off map like the one below to show the places that they have lived:
Create a hero wall
Whether you are in the classroom or at home, you can help your kids create a hero wall. What is a hero wall? Simply put, it’s a wall that showcases the service member in each child’s life.
If you are in a classroom, you can create a hero wall and put up a photo of each child’s parent that serves.
If you are at home, you can create a hero wall anywhere. Include professional photos of mom or dad, pictures from homecomings, or even awards and recognitions that they have received during their career.
Read books about military
Another great way to celebrate the Month of the Military Child with activities is to read books specifically about service members and their families.
You can read these at school during storytime or at bedtime to your children. It will help them feel closer to their parents, and also show them that they are not alone when they face separation from their parent(s).
Month of the Military Child Activities – Printables
Month of the Military Child worksheet
This Month of the Military Child 2023 worksheet can be used at home with your military kids or in the classroom at school. You can grab the free printable and print it out at home. Print one or as many copies as you need.
Have your kids fill out the questions using drawings, words, or sentences depending on their age group. Younger students can draw a picture or glue a photograph in response to the questions while older students can write a few sentences.
Month of Military Child Activities Book
This bundle created by The Beezy Teacher includes the ABCs of the military child, flip books, a directed drawing activity, and more. It is the perfect activity for kids in the classroom but you can also use it at home or at a FRG meeting.
Find more month of the military child printables from Teachers Pay Teachers.
Military children can feel empowered, special, and loved by doing any of these activities during the Month of the Military Child. Help show these children that we understand the hardships they must face and applaud them for their resilience and strength, not just during the month of April, but everyday.
