Free Memorial Day Coloring Pages

These free Memorial Day Coloring Pages will have kids busy and entertained during the holiday. This is a fun way to teach them more about this celebration.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MEMORIAL DAY?

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868. It is a day specifically for the remembrance of those who have died in service to our country. Memorial Day or also known as Remembrance Day was celebrated to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers. This was proclaimed by Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers.

Each year there is a ceremony being held at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day. And about 5,000 people attend this celebration. During the ceremony, a small American flag is placed on each grave. As part of the tradition, the President or Vice President would lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MEMORIAL DAY

Here are a couple of facts about this special day:

Memorial Day stems from a post-civil war tradition called Decorating Day, in which veterans decorated the graves of fallen soldiers.
Decoration Day only acknowledged the fallen soldiers from the Civil War until World War I.
Memorial Day was not an official holiday until 1968
Memorial Day has its own unique flag etiquette.
Civil War veterans tried to change the date of the Indianapolis 500 to keep it away from Decoration Day.

Let your kids be part of the celebration with these free Memorial Day coloring pages. Scroll down to see the different kinds of fun printable Memorial Day coloring pages.

A big thank you to all the generous bloggers who are providing these printables at no cost to us.