4 Ways to Teach Your Children about Memorial Day

1. Establish its History

Decoration Day—which became Memorial Day—began shortly after the Civil War. There was a very specific reason for this too. It wasn't to decorate houses or porches but to decorate the graves of Americans, both Union and Confederate, who had fallen in battle.

Military.com states:

The years following the end of the Civil War in 1865 saw American communities tending to the remains and graves of an unprecedented number of war dead. All of the previous wars and conflicts fought by the United States combined would still not add up to the body count produced by the Civil War.

On the first official Decoration Day -- May 30, 1868 -- Ohio Rep. James A. Garfield, a former general and future U.S. president, addressed a crowd of 5,000 gathered at Arlington National Cemetery:

"Hither our children's children shall come to pay their tribute of grateful homage. For this are we met to-day. By the happy suggestion of a great society, assemblies like this are gathering at this hour in every State in the Union.

Thousands of soldiers are to-day turning aside in the march of life to visit the silent encampments of dead comrades who once fought by their side. From many thousand homes, whose light was put out when a soldier fell, there go forth to-day to join these solemn processions loving kindred and friends, from whose heart the shadow of grief will never be lifted till the light of the eternal world dawns upon them."

After Garfield spoke, the 5,000 visitors made their way into the cemetery to visit the tens of thousands of graves in the newly formed cemetery.

2. Remember the Sacrifices and the Reasons

The Civil War isn't typically the first war our minds jump to when we think of Memorial Day. Often, we see photographs from World War II to the current day, likely because of the generations presently alive who remember these fallen soldiers. The Civil War is far less well-received these days in history class, and granted, sensationalizing that war—or any way—is in poor taste. While war is never fully without its shades of gray, the politics of the Civil War were quite stark, and to this day, we remember much of that time period as tragic, shameful, and even angering.

Still, your children need to know and remember that it was after the Civil War that the country came together to remember the fallen. Causes and convictions aside, men (and women, though in much lower numbers than current day), fell on the bloody battlefields for their families, their homes, and yes, their nation. The ugly of war is woven throughout the graveyards that hold their remains 160 years later. It is a stark reminder that we should, as a people, take the causes and the wars we enter very seriously. That we should consider the rights of humankind through the truth of a Creator God. That we should not forget the sacrifices made for us to have the freedom to do this over a century later.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tetra Images

3. Personalize Your Story

I'll never forget the day my daughter sat on the floor staring up at the shadowbox on the wall that held the military medals my grandfather had earned from World War II. While we were blessed that he was not one of the fallen, the question and the awe in her voice as she learned the stories of his purple heart and bronze star were so special. Because, in that moment, she was personalizing the history on which our nation and her freedoms are founded.

We also taught her the story of my dad's cousin who's helicopter was shot down during the Vietnam War. In fact, this Memorial Day, we plan to look up his photograph and tell his story so the kids remember how close Memorial Day is to our family. One of our own sacrificed for the ground they stand on, for the freedoms they enjoy, and for the futures they have to look forward to.

It's in this personalization that Memorial Day comes full circle. We take our children on the journey from what it even means, to how it started and why, to who we know in our family's history that we should never forget.

4. Show Our Appreciation

Do you have a military cemetery nearby? This holiday is a great day to take your kids there and show them the men and women who died during war. Granted, some of the graves aren't men and women lost in battle, but rather who served. You can even use this time to educate your children on the upcoming Veteran's Day holiday that applies to those special men and women, too.

But search through your military cemetery. Search through your local cemetery. You will more than likely find the grave of someone who gave their life during a war and whose remains were returned home to be buried by their family. In our local cemetery, we found the grave of a Civil War veteran. It wasn't hard to then return home and do an Internet search with the kids to learn more about his history, his family's contribution to our community in the 1860s, and even what the history was around his regiment that served in the Union Army.

You can teach your children to show appreciation by showing reverent and respectful remembrance.

So, as you load up your burgers with cheese, pickles, and relishes this Memorial Day, encourage your family to pause just for a moment. Yes, pray over your food and thank the Lord for the heroes and heroines who gave their lives on the battlefield. But then follow that with a moment of silence. Play Taps so your children can feel the emotion of the gravity of the sacrifice that has been made.

This is the meaning of Memorial Day. So then, let us remember.