On March 31, 2023, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued a written proclamation to honor the over 2 million children of the U.S. service members and veterans by declaring the month of April to be the Month of the Military Child. The proclamation also encouraged those who support military children to wear purple during the month. Here is a portion of the proclamation:
Every day, military-connected children stand tall with pride for their parents and our Nation. They make sacrifices — big and small — so their parents can continue to serve and protect this country. These young people represent the very best of America, and we will always be grateful for their service to our Nation. May God bless our troops and their families, caregivers, and survivors.
The following are 8 ways that you can celebrate the month with your children:
As mentioned previously, wear purple as often as possible and talk with your children about why. Also, consider taking photos and sharing them on social media. #purpleup
Create care packages for a deployed service member and his/her family. Include in the care packages letters to them.
Study the different branches of the military and when each was created. What does each specific branch do?
.Find out who are the military children in your neighborhood and host a fun day with your neighbors.
Check out books from the library about military children. The link below for dodea.edu has a list of recommended books for different ages. Talk with your children about each book.
Speak with your children’s teachers to organize classroom events, such as a “Share Your Story” project, and have military-connected students share their stories as well as have a show and tell.
Create a time-zone map showing places where most military parents are deployed and study each location.
Find out what activities are available in your area and attend some of them.
There is a tool kit with activities and many other suggestions of activities at the links below.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.militarychild.org/upload/images/2020%20MOMC/2020_Month_of_the_Military_Child.pdf
https://www.dodea.edu/dodeacelebrates/military-child-month.cfm