These free Remembrance Day activities for kids include printable worksheets, poppy crafts, coloring pages, and simple history lessons to help children understand the importance of November 11.
Whether you’re planning activities for preschoolers, elementary students, or older children, you’ll find age-appropriate ways to explore remembrance, the significance of the red poppy, and why we observe two minutes of silence.
I’ve included a mix of hands-on crafts, educational printables, books, and teaching resources that work well at home or in the classroom.
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Activities for Remembrance Day
I’ve grouped these Remembrance Day activities into worksheets, poppy crafts, and educational resources so you can quickly find something suitable for your children or students.
Free Remembrance Day Worksheets and Printables
These Remembrance Day worksheets and printables are ideal for classroom lessons or learning at home. From coloring pages and word searches to poetry comprehension, they offer simple ways to explore remembrance, history, and the significance of the red poppy.
Remembrance Day Coloring Pages
These free Remembrance Day coloring pages feature poppies, bugles, and other symbols associated with November 11. They're a quiet activity for preschool and elementary students, and a simple way to introduce the meaning of remembrance. We often use them alongside a read-aloud or while listening to the Last Post.
Free Printable
Free Poppy Coloring Page for Kids
This free poppy coloring page is a simple Remembrance Day activity for preschool and elementary students. Children can color the poppies while learning why the red poppy is a symbol of remembrance. We often pair it with a reading of In Flanders Fields to help explain the meaning behind the tradition.
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Veterans Day Word Search Printable
We’ve used this word search as part of our November lessons, even though it’s titled for Veterans Day. It’s a simple way to introduce important terms like honor and freedom, and it usually sparks some good conversation while they search.
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Free Remembrance Day Activity Booklet
This free Remembrance Day activity booklet from Veterans Affairs Canada includes a maze, spot-the-difference activity, and other simple exercises for younger children. It's particularly useful for preschool and elementary students who learn best through hands-on activities.
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In Flanders Fields Poem Comprehension Worksheet
This worksheet was a useful follow-up after we read the poem together. The questions are simple but meaningful, and it opened the door for a really thoughtful conversation about why the poem still matters.
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Remembrance Day Worksheets from Twinkl
Twinkl offers Remembrance Day teaching resources, including writing activities and reading comprehension worksheets. These are useful for teachers and parents looking for structured activities to accompany a November 11 lesson. Check which resources are available for free before choosing an activity.
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Remembrance Day Crafts for Kids
Making poppy crafts is a hands-on way to introduce younger children to Remembrance Day. These simple craft ideas are particularly good for preschoolers and kindergarten students, although older kids can enjoy them too. Most use everyday materials such as paper, paint, and tissue paper.
Easy Handprint Poppy Craft
We did this one when my son was in preschool, and it’s still one of my favorite keepsakes. Kids use their handprints to form the petals, making it feel personal right from the start. It’s simple, quick to prep, and a nice way to introduce the meaning of the poppy to little ones.
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Melted Wax Poppy Craft
This melted wax poppy craft creates a stained-glass effect using crayon shavings and wax paper. It's a lovely Remembrance Day art activity for older children, with adult supervision needed for the heating stage. The finished poppies look especially effective displayed in a window.
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Egg Carton Poppies
This one’s great if you want to reuse materials you already have at home. With just an egg carton, red paint, and a bit of tissue paper, kids can create textured poppies that look surprisingly lovely. We’ve added them to wreaths, cards, and even table displays.
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Poppy Wreath Craft
Using cupcake liners and buttons, this is a fun one for older preschoolers and early elementary kids who want to do something more hands-on. We’ve made these wreaths a few times and hang them on the door every year. It’s simple but meaningful.
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Puffy Tissue Paper Poppies
This tissue paper poppy craft is a simple Remembrance Day activity for preschoolers and kindergarten students. Younger children can scrunch the tissue paper while older kids arrange the pieces into poppy shapes. The finished flowers also make a lovely classroom display.
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Remembrance Day Learning Activities and Books
These Remembrance Day teaching resources help elementary and older students explore the history behind November 11. You'll find interactive history activities, videos, real stories, and books that encourage thoughtful conversations about remembrance and the impact of war.
The History of Remembrance Day Poppies
We watched this short video together before starting our poppy crafts, and it gave just enough background without being overwhelming. It’s a good way to introduce the tradition visually if your kids are more video-oriented than print-focused.
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Royal British Legion Remembrance Day Teaching Resources
The Royal British Legion provides educational resources to help children understand Remembrance Day, including the significance of poppies and why we remember those who served. These materials are useful for classroom lessons and can also be adapted for learning at home.
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Tower of London Remembrance Poppies
When we looked at photos of the Tower of London filled with ceramic poppies, it helped my son understand just how many lives were lost. This resource makes the scale of remembrance more visual and powerful for kids.
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World War I Interactive Timeline
This interactive World War I timeline helps older elementary and middle school students explore the major events leading up to the armistice in November 1918. It's a useful visual resource for understanding the historical background of Remembrance Day and works well alongside a history lesson.
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National Veterans Day Project: Lest the Ages Forget
We used one of the soldier profiles from this project as a writing prompt one year, and it led to a really thoughtful piece. The firsthand stories and artifacts add depth beyond just facts, and older kids especially connect with it.
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National Geographic Kids Everything World War I
We’ve used this book alongside our history units, it’s full of detailed photos and quick facts that helped bring the war to life. My son was especially interested in the gear and vehicles, and the layout kept him engaged even without reading it cover to cover.
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Where The Poppies Now Grow
This rhyming picture book follows two friends through war and peace. It’s gentle but emotional, and it gave us a way to talk about the human side of conflict without it feeling too heavy. We read it aloud every year around November 11th.
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Story of the First World War for Children: 1914-1918
This one goes deeper into the events of WWI and is best for upper elementary or middle school readers. The illustrations are strong, and the details helped my son understand why the war was such a turning point in history.
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Remembrance Day Facts for Kids
Remembrance Day is observed on November 11 to honor and remember those who served and died in wars and conflicts. These simple Remembrance Day facts can help children understand the history behind the day and why people wear red poppies.
When my son first saw the ceramic poppy we keep at home, he had lots of questions. These are some of the facts we explored together.
- Remembrance Day began after World War I. The armistice ending the fighting on the Western Front took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. The first Armistice Day commemorations took place in 1919.
- November 11 is an important date. In the UK, people traditionally observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. to remember those who lost their lives in war. Other countries also hold moments of silence.
- Red poppies are a symbol of remembrance. They became associated with remembrance following the poem In Flanders Fields, written by Canadian physician and soldier John McCrae in 1915.
- Remembrance Day is observed in several countries. Canada, the UK, and Australia commemorate those who served and sacrificed their lives, although traditions vary between countries.
- The United States observes Veterans Day. Also held on November 11, Veterans Day honors everyone who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, while Memorial Day specifically honors those who died in military service.
- Remembrance Sunday is observed in the UK. It falls on the second Sunday in November, with ceremonies and services held across the country.
For older children studying World War I, you can also explore trench warfare, the conditions soldiers experienced, and how the conflict changed the world.
Poppies: Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red
One of the most meaningful Remembrance Day keepsakes we own is a ceramic poppy from the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower of London.
The display featured 888,246 ceramic poppies, each representing a British or colonial military fatality during World War I. It was exhibited between August 5 and November 11, 2014, transforming the Tower’s moat into a sea of red.
We have one of those original poppies at home, and it’s a lovely reminder of the importance of remembrance.
When my son first started asking about it, we talked about why poppies became such an important symbol and what the installation represented. It helped make the history of Remembrance Day feel much more real.
If you’re teaching children about Remembrance Day, looking at photographs of the Tower of London poppy installation is a powerful way to help them understand the scale of loss during World War I.
More Activities About Remembrance and Military History
If you’re teaching children about remembrance in the United States, these free Memorial Day printables provide additional activities about military service and sacrifice.
Although Memorial Day and Remembrance Day have different histories and traditions, both provide opportunities to teach children about sacrifice, remembrance, and the impact of war.
Last Updated on 13 October 2026 by Clare Brown
