November 2023 Parenta magazine

Armistice Day and
Remembrance Sunday
Armistice Day occurs every year on 11th
November, and it marks the day in 1918
when the guns stopped on the World
War One battlefields as negotiations
started to end the war and find a peaceful
settlement. Armistice is Latin for “still
arms” and it started at 11am on the 11th
day of the 11th month (November). Today,
we mark the moment with a two-minute
silence across the country and many
countries around the world do the same in
their time zones.
Remembrance Sunday is observed on the
second Sunday in November (as close to
Armistice Day as possible) and is a day of
commemoration across the globe when
people stop to remember the lives lost and
sacrifices made in human conflicts since
World War One.
Whilst most adults understand the
significance and importance of marking
these events, it can be difficult to relay
this to children without worrying them or
frightening them about some of the events
in our human past, especially when certain
parts of the world are at war even as the
wreaths are being laid.
However, there are ways that early years
settings can introduce children to the
important messages of Armistice Day
and Remembrance Sunday, in an ageappropriate
and compassionate way, so
read on for some ideas that you can use.
Main themes to
consider
Rather than focusing on the terrible
loss of life and sacrifice that wars bring,
think about the following themes that
are still relevant to Armistice Day and
Remembrance Sunday, but which are
more age-appropriate.
Saying thank you to people who look
after us and keep us safe, such as
servicemen and women, as well as
police, fire crews and ambulance/
health workers
Acknowledge the contribution that
brave people have made to our
society and what it means to be brave
and stand up for what is right
Help children think about people in
the past who have made life possible
today and the differences across time
Show pride in our country whilst
recognising and embracing how we
can work together with people in
other countries to overcome adversity
Practical things to do
Art activities
Making poppies is relevant to early years
and there are lots of craft ideas online
that you can use to make poppies to
wear as buttonholes, to decorate homemade
wreaths, or add to a wall display.
Red poppies are used to remember the
members of the armed forces who died in
conflicts in World War One and since, but
there are other colours of poppies that can
be used to represent other groups as well.
Purple poppies – commemorate
animal victims of war
Black poppies commemorate the
contributions of Black, African and
Caribbean communities to the war
effort either as servicemen and
servicewomen or as civilians
White poppies are often worn to
remember those who died, but
emphasising an end to the conflict
Think about ways to create poppies
using different media including:
› Paint with thumb/handprints or
stencils
› Tissue paper, card, and straws
› Felt and material
› Paper plates
› Play dough or clay
Storytime
Use storytime to share stories of people
being brave or working together to
overcome events and concentrate on the
camaraderie and unity that people have
found during hard times, rather than the
conflicts. Talk about the importance of
peace and discussing differences so that
children can understand other people’s
points of view and respect their different
cultures. Search for books and stories
which are age-appropriate. There are lots
of age-appropriate videos on YouTube
telling the story of Armistice Day and the
Poppy Appeal.
Outdoor excursion
Take the children on an excursion to your
local war memorial to explain how people
can be remembered even when they are
no longer around. Show them the names
on the plaques and memorials and
explain that they have been left there so
that they will never be forgotten. You could
then ask the children if there are people in
their own life who they like to think about.
Tealight displays
Make a display in a corner of your setting
using battery-operated tealights to
represent people that the children would
like to remember. This could introduce
the children to the act of thinking about
people who are not with them now (not
necessarily deceased) so they could think
about their parents, grandparents, friends,
neighbours or pets, or anyone else who
is special to them. You could make some
tealight holders from paper cups and get
the children to decorate them, perhaps
getting staff to write on some words that
the children use to describe each person.
Music
Sing songs about peace and living
together to reinforce the values that you
want to promote in the children. You can
also find songs about giving thanks for the
world around you and introduce the idea
that you want to give thanks to the people
who serve in the Army, Royal Navy, and
Air Force for everything they do to keep
people safe. There are some simple songs
on YouTube which you can use to sing
along to and get the children to join in. Or
think about writing your own words to a
well-known tune like “Frere Jacques” or
“London’s Burning”.
Language-related activities
Why not commemorate Remembrance
Sunday this year and help your older
children learn about and understand
their emotions at the same time? Ask the
children to think about things that they
remember and then ask them to describe
how they feel and why they feel like that.
For example, you can help them think
about things like a day out with their
family, or a food they like or a pet. Then
talk about how they feel and give them
some vocabulary around that to help.
Observe a moment of
silence
Explain to the children that on Armistice
Day, or Remembrance Sunday, you would
like to remember the special people who
have served their country in times of war
and peace. Explain that the rest of the
country will also stop what they are doing
at a particular time (11am on 11/11) and
ask them to join you to think about special
people in their own lives. Remember, you
may have children of servicemen and
women in your setting too so be sensitive
to this. You might find that 2 minutes is
too long for your children, but even a
few moments of silence can help get the
message across.
Whatever you do, send us your pictures
and stories to hello@parenta.com.
Scan here for
more references
& information:
22 November 2023 | parenta.com
parenta.com | November 2023 23