Juneteenth Celebration Ideas for Kids
Here are some Juneteenth Celebration ideas for kids! If you are thinking of celebrating the end of Slavery in the United States this June 19th, here are some resources to get you started.
What is the Juneteenth Meaning?
Juneteenth is celebrated on the 19th of June and represents the day that enslaved people of Americans heard the news of the President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln signed this on January 1, 1863, but it wasn’t until over two years later that news of the end the Civil War and with that the end of slavery, reached Galveston, Texas on the 19th June 1865.
Juneteenth has been celebrated since, but didn’t become a federal Holiday in America until very recently in 2021. This was only introduced after the Black Lifes Matter movement – sparked by the deaths George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery in 2020. It is now often called Freedom Day or Emancipation Day too.
There are two flags that represent Juneteenth.
The first is the Red, Black and Green Pan-African flag, also considered the Black Liberation Flag. You can read more about it’s history here.
The second is the Red, White and Blue Juneteeth Flag more recently designed and created.
Here is a great video to explain Juneteenth to children:
Juneteenth Flag Crafts & Resources
Juneteenth Flag Quiz – Cootie Catcher
If you know Red Ted Art, you know that we LOVE cootie catchers. This classic childhood paper toy, that is fun and easy to make. I created a special Juneteenth Flag Cootie Catcher. Learn some basic facts or write your own! Or maybe use the cootie catcher to write some pledges. You can use the Red Ted Art printable, or create your own cootie catcher from scartch (and maybe use the Pan African Flag design too). I have listed a set of questions that you can use to create your own quiz.
Simple Juneteenth Flag Coloring Pages
These flag coloring pages are a quick way to get kids talking and creating around Juneteenth. An easy download for you to grab today.
Craft Sticks Juneteenth Flag
Crafting a Fun Life has these lovely little Pan African Flags made from popsicle sticks for Juneteenth. These are really easy to make and a wonderful wayto engage younger children – toddlers and preschoolers.
Make a Pan African Flag Suncatcher
Happy Toddler Playtime has this lovely Flag Suncatcher Activity. A great way to decorate for Juneteenth and engage children of all ages. (Great for cutting skill practice and fine motor skills too!).
Recycled Cardboard Juneteenth Flag
Similarly, Crafting a Fun Life, has this wonderful Cardboard Juneteenth Flag – I think this would make a great project for kids a little older – say in elementary school. This also gives you the opportunity to discuss what the different flags mean and what their origins are! The Red, Black and Green is the Pan African Flag and the Blue, Red and White one is the modern especially designed Juneteenth Flag.
Ideas for a Juneteenth Picnic or Party Celebration
Have yourself a BBQ or picnic. Be sure to include RED FOODS! The color RED is widely considered to be a color of that symbolises the resilience of enslaved people as well as the red of the blood that was shed.
So many red foods will be dished up during a Juneteenth Party, such as watermelon, strawberries and raspberries. Or why not bake some yummy Red Velvet Cake for the occasion?!
Watch this “Best Foods for Juneteenth” video on YouTube!
Juneteent Resources – Books – Read, Learn & Grow
We all know the power of books and story telling! Make Juneteenth an opportunity to explore Black History and Slavery. Here are some great titles to get you started. Head to the bookstore and ask for the African American History section or if they have a special Juneteent display. In the meantime here are some titles to get you started.
(NOTE: Amazon Affiliate links have been added for convenience – these create no cost to you, but do earn me a small comission which goes towards the upkeep of this website!)
Junteenth Picture Books
- Juneteenth For Mazie by Floyd Cooper
- Juneteenth Jamboree by Carole Boston Weatherford
- Juneteen (On My Own Holidays) by Drew Nelson
- All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom By Angela Johnson
- The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States by Alliah L. Agostini
- Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan
- Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle
I hope these are enough Juneteenth Resources to get you started and celebrating this very important day in American History! If you have ideas to add to this collection, please do email me, I would love to hear from you!