10 Ways to Teach Kids to Love America
The next time you're with your child and you see an American flag, point it out. Explain that it stands for our whole country and that it's one way we tell the world who we are as a people. It also shows we're connected to each other as Americans -- we're on the same team. Because our flag is special, we treat it with respect.
At home, look at a flag together and point out that each part has a meaning. The 50 stars stand for our 50 states. The 13 stripes stand for the original 13 British colonies, whose citizens decided in 1776 that they wanted to govern themselves rather than be ruled by a king.
2. Our PledgeIf your child is in school, she may have recited the Pledge of Allegiance, but like many other kids her age, she might not understand exactly what she's saying.
Explain that the pledge is simply a promise. We're giving our word that we'll be loyal (allegiance) to our country, which the flag stands for, because it's a place where we can decide who our leaders will be (republic), where everyone sticks together (indivisible), and where our goal is for people to be free (liberty) and treated fairly by others (justice).
Ask your child to guess whether most countries have a pledge of allegiance of their own. (Most don't.) We, as Americans, decided to create one to remind ourselves of our special freedoms. Written in 1892, the pledge was first recited during a celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to America.
3. Our National AnthemIf your child watches the Winter Olympics with you, he's likely to hear at least one rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Explain that it's our country's song and that we sing it to show that we are proud to be American. To signal our respect, we usually stand while singing it.
Then share the story behind the anthem: A young poet and lawyer named Francis Scott Key wrote the words during the War of 1812. After British ships bombarded a fort in Baltimore during a fierce battle, Key saw our flag still flying, proudly waving. It meant that we still had our freedoms and that we had defended our young country. Ask your child what the image of a flag waving means to him...
On November 17, 2010
