18 Special Memorial Day Weekend Activities for Family in 2023

As a victim of a fallen soldier, we normally hang DIY patriotic art in our house during Memorial Day Weekend. This is accompanied by watching a series of military movies – Saving Private Ryan, Lone Survivor, and Last Flag Flying never misses the list. And on the last day, we join others in laying a Memorial Day Wreath on a Nation Memorial Cemetery.

Whatever you’ll do on the 29th of May for the sake of Memorial Day, should be themed at remembering the servicemen who sacrificed their lives for the peace of our country. Still being the perfect time to start your summer barbecue, going summer camping with family and engaging in decorating the outdoors with Memorable Day décor will create a long-lasting memory.

If you’re looking for special Memorial Day weekend activities for your family in 2023, this is the right guide for you. There are many special activities for families you can participate in this year’s Memorable Day Weekend. If you’re blessed with melodious voices, singing patriotic songs in your backyard and hanging American flags will make you and your family feel connected to the special day.

Choose one or a combination of the Memorable Day activities from the list below, and schedule them accordingly to fit the three-day weekend for you and the other family members.

1. Attend a Memorial Day Concert

Attending a Memorial Day concert with your family is a great activity that’ll make you remember the combat veterans who lost their lives. In all States in America, there are Memorial Day weekend music festivals but if you can visit The US Capitol in Washington, D.C, it would be better. It’s free and open to the public- no tickets are needed.

Not all Memorial Day concerts are free. The Burnside Memorial Day Concert and Virginia Beach Memorial Day Weekend Concerts are fun places to visit, attend the concert, and enjoy other activities.

2. Pay Respect at a Nearby National Cemetery

Wreath-laying ceremonies are held at different times and according to the schedule set by the cemetery administrators. If you laying wreaths on the tombstones of US service members is the best option for your family, the Arlington National Cemetery, Jacksonville National Cemetery, or Houston National Cemetery wreath laying are the places best suited to celebrate Memorable Day.

To make the kids understand the importance of wreath laying during Memorial Day, make them read a brief history of the serviceman lying in repose for the sake of the country.

3. Watch Patriotic Videos in the Family Backyard

Watching patriotic videos on Memorial Day isn’t only for fun. It tells the true history behind the Memorial Day weekend. Even though the news of fallen members of the armed reminds us of the ultimate sacrifices they make, having a special selection of patriotic movies to watch with family is a good activity for Memorial Day.

Among the blockbusters featuring women and men in the battles to add to the list include the Apocalypse Now which depicts the horrors of the Vietnam War, the Black Hawk Down, and the Born on the Fourth of July.

4. Observe the National Moment of Remembrance

This is an annual event that was established to remind all Americans of the sacrifices men in the uniform made. While enjoying your Memorable Day meals, it’s honorable to ask your family to stand at 3. pm local time and pause for one minute in remembrance of the fallen servicemen of the United States of America.

Alternatively, start by going through the Faces of Sacrifice to see the real sacrifices armed members made, while in silence when observing the National Moment of Remembrance reflect on the sacrifices the men in the pictures made.

5. Participate in Memorial Day Cemetery Decorations

Image courtesy of Pinterest

Among the best ways your family can pay tribute to the servicemen that died for the freedom and values you enjoy is by decorating their graves on Memorial Day. There are many ways to decorate graves and it doesn’t have to be expensive. A freshly cut flower placed before the tombstone and placing floral cemetery candles strategically around the grave is a memorable activity worth considering.

Placing cemetery flags, personalized flower vases, solar lights, and personal mementos are grave decors you can place on a soldier’s grave.

6. Watch Memorial Day parades

Having a family gathering and watching Memorial Day parades which are aired live on television is an honor to all the lives of soldiers lost in war and battles. With some parades expected to attract over 200,000 spectators, it would be a good idea to be among the spectators.

You can drive your family to Washington, D.C. for the National Memorial Day Parade, or Queens, N.Y. to the Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade. You don’t have to be tied to these big parades; there are many other local Memorable Day parades you can attend.

7. Spend Memorial Day Making Memorial Art

Memorial art can take any form and any material provided it’s themed in white, blue, and red colors which symbolize the Unites States flag. Fusing patriotic art-making with other related activities suitable for the whole family like a one-day vacation or camping in the backyard and cooking will occupy the three-day Memorial Day.

Making a huge DIY army wreath, patriotic Jason bar lanterns, and a DIY patriotic pinwheel craft will involve every family member’s hands. Plan to make these pieces of patriotic art outdoors in the playground for everyone to participate.

8. Make Donations to the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation

Imagine knowing you’ve helped a child of a fallen army officer attain a degree or diploma in engineering or law. In the same way, the fallen soldier would have saved for his children, share your savings with the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. Encouraging your family to donate on Memorial Day weekend is a show of honor for the sacrifices army officers make.

The donation you make goes a long way to helping the families of the fallen patriots. Opting to shop for products online at the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation websites is another way of commemorating the Memorable Day.

9. Watch Memorial Day videos

With hundreds of short Memorable Day videos available on different channels and e-commerce websites like Amazon, and eBay, make a list choosing those suitable for whole family viewing. Why Do We Celebrate Memorial Day? My America the Beautiful, and Memorial Day Tribute are great Memorial Day videos to watch.

Alternatively, you can stream Memorable Day videos live on a designated streaming service. Select the service that suits your family here .

10. Memorial Day Outdoor Decorations

Take time to make DIY patriotic art and buy other fancy Memorable Day outdoor decorations on the 27th and 28 May. Then together with the family, spend the whole Memorable Day, 29th May decorating the compound. That would be a Memorable Day well spent concerning all the soldiers who have died for the tranquility of our nation.

Party City, Amazon, Etsy, and Target are some of the few sites you can outdoor decorations for the Memorable Day weekend.

11. Contribute to Veteran Charity organizations

Fisher House Foundation website

Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust, Charity Navigator, and Hope for the Warriors are registered and renowned veteran charity organizations to make generous contributions. The contributions you make are channeled to veterans and their families.

You can make contributions through Mail, fundraise with the family, donate an asset, or donate online

12. Donate Memorial Day Wreaths For Soldiers Graves

On visiting National Memorial Cemeteries during the Memorial Day Weekend, you’ll find wreaths and flowers for people to place at veteran’s gravesites. They are made available through donations. The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation , Memorial Day Foundation, and Winchester National Cemetery are good for your family to donate Memorable Day wreaths to either in cash or through Mail.

13. Join Organizations That Build Homes for Veterans

Charity organizations spend thousands of dollars to repair and also build homes for veterans. Homes For Our Troops, Building Homes for Heroes, and Operation Finally Home are organizations determined to restore the lives of American veterans by providing modern shelter.

To make a family joint contribution, fundraise, and then donate through the given payment options to an organization of your choice.

14. Write Letters to Troops Overseas

Witting letters to troops on the battlefields or on peace missions do motivate and keeps their morale high. If you don’t know how to and what to write, go to Google and you’ll get the best tips. To send letters to military camps, you’ll have to send them through the United States Postal Service (USPS).

As a special Memorial Day weekend activity for family, let each write as many letters as possible. Be positive, thankful, encouraging, kind, and respectful in every word of the letter.

15. Shop at Veteran-Owned Businesses

Image courtesy of military

Home products vary in categories just as the veteran-owned businesses. The three-day Memorable Day weekend is enough to shop different product categories in as many veteran-owned shops as possible. Other activities you can incorporate with shopping include giving a thank you note to the veteran, taking time to share stories with the veteran, and giving a donation.

If sending letters is a challenge, here are some websites to help ensure you commemorate the Memorable Day by sending letters to soldiers.

16. Have a Family Memorial Day party

To feel connected to the Memorable Day, you need an ideal location. A beach party, country club party, or a party in the boat makes the Memorable Day special. Other activities that would make your Memorable Day more fun are hanging lights and streamers, creating and hanging a festive banner, including a game everyone can play, and serving flag-themed patriotic sweets.

A layered white, red, and blue cake covered with an American flag for the 3 pm hour shouldn’t miss in the occasion.

17. Prepare Memorial Day Themed foods

After taking a trip to the local cemetery, preparing Memorial Day-themed food would be a special activity to reckon with the family. A combination of cheeseburgers and salads on one plate and smoky grilled pork chops on a wooden board would be a delicacy worth a special Memorial Day.

A cinnamon sugar pie and flag-themed ice cream sandwich is a good idea considering the weather is becoming hotter. There are hundreds of meal recipes for Memorial Day food; The Pioneer Woman and Food Network are great websites if you’re looking for the best Recipes for your Memorial Day.

18. Send Military Care Packages to Troops

Image courtesy of Operation Gratitude

Among the items you should include in a military care package to be shipped to troops during the Memorial Day weekend are toothpaste and toothbrush, lotions, pain relievers, individually packaged tissues, shampoo, high-quality socks, and feminine products for women.

Some of the military care package organizations you can partner with to send care packages are Operation Support Our Troops-America, Operation We Are Here, Hero Care Packages, and Soldiers Angels.

Don’t forget to send pet care packages for military working dogs like K-9 Cooling Mats, dog shampoo, and brushes.

Conclusion

If you take a moment of silence and then visualize what the servicemen go through in the battles fields, peace missions, and border controls, you’ll have a reason to participate in the Memorial Day weekend activities. From the 18 special Memorial Day activities for families listed above, which one’s would you love to participate in?

Kindly share your opinion or comment in the comment section below.