This is quite a challenge to come up with original games, craft ideas or anything else to keep kids busy on Memorial Day. Kids’ minds can be easily distracted when there isn’t much to do on Memorial Day or any other day.
Here are a few ideas that I believe I made up on the fly. If I didn’t then, hey, someone else thinks like me.
FLAG RELAY RACE
Here is a fun race you can have kids to outside either at home or at the park. You need at least four kids for this to work. Eight will be great! Each team will start with one racer running with a flag in hand. This kid needs to get to the next who is waiting for the flag to be passed onto them.
These flags can be those six-inch tall ones that cost a buck or two. The object is to be the team to cross the finish line first. You may have to explain what a relay race is before you start. The award can be anything, but for this game a large flag for each member of the winning team will be enough.
PAINTING CONTEST
This game can be thought of in so many ways. My idea is to provide a picture of the current US Flag for each kid to paint on Memorial Day. The object is simple enough. Draw out the flag on the paper, and be the first to finish painting, too.
You may want to have them wear painters’ smocks to keep their clothes clean. A water soluble paint will be best to use. If you don’t want to take chances with paint, use markers instead.
MEMORIAL DAY TEE SHIRTS
This is a really fun idea that the kids can take home, too. You can have red, white, or blue tee shirts for each kid to design. Provide pictures of the US presidents, US monuments, or of the different flags we have had as a nation. Another neat idea is to have titles of patriotic songs for Memorial Day.
Let each child decide what to design on its shirt. This allows for flexibility. Again, paint or markers can be used. There is acrylic paint for cloth that is easy to apply. You may need a divider between the front and back of the shirts so that the design doesn’t bleed through.
Buy tee shirts that are a size larger so the kids can wear them for at least a year. Hint to them the idea of applying a quote on their tee shirts. A jar with pre-written quotes would be fun to have sitting nearby. Join in with them so they know it is more fun than it first appears to be.
PATRIOTIC POSES
This will be the most fun you will have with your kids on Memorial Day. Find pictures of patriotic paintings or sculpture online. Print them off. Have at least ten poses. This will make time go by much faster.
Take pictures of the kids as they try to all pose the way the people are in the pictures. Once they have the pose, snap another photo. Now they have to try posing how the people are in the next picture.
These will make fun pictures for you and your kids on Memorial Day. Other children who have joined in can have photos, too.
GRAB BAGS
This is a “tread water” sort of issue. Memorial day things to put into the bags can be things such as a deck of cards with the US Presidents on them. Maybe traditional US candy such as lemon drops, root beer barrels, or starlight mints. Flag pins for their clothing would be cool.
You can be silly and put a child’s bubble blowing pack in them. Maybe some Bazooka Joe bubble gum would do the trick. Collector sports cards with bubble gum would be great for the guys, as would inexpensive jewelry would be for the gals. When using these latter two, mark the bags so the boys don’t get the girls’, and vice versa.
Memorial Day can be as fun as you want it to be. Deciding on what to do may be the only challenge of the day.
