Did you know that April is the Month of the Military Child? This is a special time of the year when all military children — both at home in the United States and overseas — are recognized and celebrated for their outstanding role in the military community.
Here are 10 ways members of the military community and beyond can celebrate the Month of Military Child:
1. Connect with Other Military Families
Make an extra effort to connect with some other families with military children this month to share stories, gifts and support. The Month of the Military Child is a time to make all the military kids feel seen, loved and appreciated. What better way to go about this than together as a family?
2. Get Your Children’s Teachers Involved
Not everyone knows about the Month of the Military Child, so it’s a great idea to spread awareness to those in your military child’s network.
Ask your kid’s teachers if they’d be up for adding some lessons about the military to their April schedule, not only to show support for your military children, but also to help educate the other kids in class on what it’s like to be a military kid.
3. Make a Map of Your Travels
Create a world map and start marking up places where you’ve lived, where other military families you know have lived and areas of major U.S. military events. Share stories, memories and historical facts about all these different places to celebrate how unique an experience it is to have seen so much of the world at such a young age.
4. Adopt a Servicemember and Send Care Packages
While it is the Month of the Military Child, it’s important to also remember the service and sacrifices of our active duty military. Consider adopting an extra servicemember for the month—perhaps someone who doesn’t have a big family or kids to show them support—and sending them care packages. Fill it with your military children’s favorite snacks, drawings and other celebratory items.
5. Create a Hero Wall
Grab a bulletin board and start hanging photos of military heroes. Not only can you highlight your own servicemember or Veteran, but you can also use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about prominent military members of history and other members of the military community that they know and respect.
6. Wear Purple
Throughout the month, add some purple to your wardrobe to show support for the military community. Help your kids pick out their favorite purple clothes and sport them to both celebrate military children and help raise awareness for the massive sacrifice military families make.
Image courtesy of www.vbcpsblogs.com
7. Have a Weekly Family Fun Night
Over the course of the Month of the Military Child, give your military kids one night every week where they get to choose what the family does for fun. This could be a movie night, paper-airplane-making competition, a cookout, game night—anything your military kids have been wanting to do to reward them for their role in the military community.
8. Have a Parent-Child Date Night
Life as a parent can be chaotic, and being a military parent can be even more challenging. During the Month of the Military Child, make an effort to spend some quality time with your children one-on-one.
Take them out on a “date” to their favorite restaurant or play a game with just you and them. Show them individually that you appreciate them and their sacrifice as a military child.
9. Have Dress-Up Days
Plan a few days throughout the month where your kids can dress up beyond just wearing purple. Let your kids pick their favorite military branch, favorite military historical character, or something else military-related, and dress up to celebrate.
10. Show Your Kids You Love Them
The thing that matters most is that your kids know they are seen, loved and appreciated. Being a military kid isn’t easy. They have to juggle deployments, moving and tons of other life events that a lot of kids never have to deal with. Their sacrifice is respectable and worth being thankful for. Show them some extra love this month as you celebrate the Month of the Military Child.
How are you celebrating the Month of the Military Child? Show us how you’re honoring military children on SpouseLink’s Facebook page!
