This post is sponsored by T-Mobile
Veteran’s Day is Monday, November 11th, and you might be wondering what activities are a good option for your family. Veteran’s Day parades take place all over the country, with one of the largest being in New York City, and the parades are a great way to help your children understand the importance of celebrating our nation’s heroes.
T-Mobile has long been a partner for military families and service members. Not only do they the leading cell phone service plans for active duty service members and offer career assistance for military spouses and after a service member leaves active duty, but they are also taking the lead as one of biggest supporters of military families by sending over 100 veterans, military family members, and allies to the Veteran’s Day Parade in NYC.
Veteran’s Day parades are a fun way to help your children understand the meaning and the importance of Veteran’s Day.
5 Things to Do Before You Head to a Veteran’s Day Parade
Explain the meaning of Veteran’s Day to your children
Veteran’s Day, formally Armistice Day, was founded in 1919 in order to honor all veterans of the military. A veteran is anyone who has served in the military for any length of time. Veteran’s Day is a day to celebrate those who have served and those who are currently serving our country.
Many people often confuse Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a day in which we remember and honor those who have died in service of their country. Memorial Day is held during the last Monday of May.
There are several books that can help teach your children about Veteran’s Day:
Children’s Books for Veteran’s Day
What is Veteran’s Day?
Veteran’s: Heroes in Our Neighborhood
Hero Dad/Hero Mom
Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops
RELATED: 4 Ways to Teach Your Military Kid about Memorial Day
Talk about the Different Kinds of Veterans You Might See
What our children know is what they see in front of them. The veterans they know might be mom, dad, and their friend’s parents who are all active duty. But at a Veteran’s Day Parade, you might see all different kinds of veterans who have once served in the military. Talk to your children about the different types of veterans they might see including wounded warriors and veterans from past conflicts. Here are few children’s books that might help your children understand that a a Veteran’s Day parade they will have the opportunity to honor everyone who served, including those from prior generations and those who were injured in battle.
Tuesday Tucks Me In
Veteran’s Day for Grandpa
Find Out Who is Sponsoring the Event
One of the best ways to support a Veteran’s Day parade event is to find out who is sponsoring the event. The sponsors of a Veteran’s Day parade are often those who have continued to support military families, and support of their companies means supporting military families, too.
The Veteran’s Day Parade in New York City is one of the largest Veteran’s Day Parades in the county. This year, T-Mobile is sending over 100 veterans, military family members, and allies to march in the parade. This is their third year sponsoring the event, and they continue to do so to not only honor all service members but to also show their support of their veteran and military spouse employees. This is just one of the over 800 sponsored events T-Mobile offers to their employees to celebrate diversity and inclusion.
Remind them about the Moment of Silence
Most parades will have a Moment of Silence at some point during the parade. It is usually at the beginning, but it is always a good idea to remind your children that they are to be quiet during this time and to use the time to reflect on the sacrifices that military families make every day in service of their country.
Discuss Other Ways You Can Support Veterans in the Community
Veteran’s Day parades are just one way your family can support and celebrate the veterans in your community. Here are a few other ways you can celebrate those who have served and those who continue to serve:
- Send care packages to the troops.
There are several different organizations that will help you send care packages to service members overseas. Here are just a few:
AdoptaPlatoon Soldier Support Effort
For the Troops
The Hugs Project
Operation Gratitude
Troopster - Visit a VA Hospital
If you live near a VA hospital or a Wounded Warrior Battalion, you can ask to visit with the service members who want visitors. - Donate to a veterans organization
There are hundreds of organizations in which you can donate to help support veterans. Here is a great list from Military.com - Support sponsors of Veteran’s Day events
Companies that sponsor Veteran’s Day events, like T-Mobile, are a big reason why these events are possible. Supporting these companies means you are supporting the veteran community and helping raise awareness, honor, and celebrate our heroes.
T-Mobile Continues to Support Military Families
T-Mobile has been a long supporter of military families and service members. Not only do they offer exclusive discounts to military families through their Magenta Military plan but they also offer career assistance and community support to service members, veterans, and their families.
RELATED: We are Celebrating Women’s Business Day by Recognizing these Badass Military Spouse Entrepreneurs
Over the past few years, T-Mobile’s mission of hiring 10,000 veterans and military spouses by 2023 has been going strong. They have partnered with organizations like FourBlock, a career assistance program that offers recruiting events, career seminars, and training programs to help veterans reach their next goals in civilian life. Together with T-Mobile, FourBlock offers a free online version of the Career Readiness Program to veterans and military dependents.
T-Mobile has also partnered with The Mission Continues, a non-profit organization that offers volunteer opportunities for veterans to continue their acts of service and offer their unique skill sets in their communities after leaving active duty service. T-Mobile supports The Mission Continues by offering their military veteran employees opportunities to partner with The Mission Continues.
The thing that drives T-Mobile to continue to support veterans and military families- either through their exclusive pricing, through career assistance, and through employment opportunities- is their commitment to diversity and inclusion. They listen to their employees and customers about their experiences in the military and these stories bring new ideas to the company’s development teams. In addition, the veteran community is a representation of the diverse community of employees at T-Mobile, and their diverse customer base.
Companies like T-Mobile are sponsoring Veteran’s Day parades and events this November, and showing your support by attending a parade and supporting the sponsors is a great way to honor our veterans. Prepare your children for Veteran’s Day with children’s books about Veteran’s Day to help engage in the discussion about the meaning of Veteran’s Day and how you can support this community of people before, during, and after the Veteran’s Day parades and events.
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
T-Mobile | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
CONNECT WITH DAILY MOM
💖 NEWSLETTER: DAILY READS IN YOUR INBOX 💖
Sign up to receive our picks for the best things to do, see and buy so you can relax and focus on more important tasks! Let us help you be the best version of yourself you can be!
