F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison

On July 4th, people all over the United States celebrated Independence Day.  Many people attended picnics, parades, and carnivals.  Many people dressed up in red, white, and blue and many more enjoyed watching firework displays in their communities.  Even though the festivities of July 4th are over, this is a terrific time for small children to learn more about the American flag.  What colors are on the flag?  (red, white, and blue)  How many stripes are on the flag?  (thirteen)  How many stars are on the flag?  (fifty)  When we look at the flag, what should we think about and remember?  (America!)

This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote in 2015.  Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

F is for Flag

F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison is a terrific book to read with small children.  From reading the book we learn what the flag looks like, why we fly the flag, and that it represents America and all of the people living here.  We also learn about Betsy Ross, the Pledge of Allegiance, and how the flag changed over time.  School-aged children can read this book easily by themselves, whereas younger children would enjoy having F is for Flag read to them.

Author's Summary

June 14 is Flag Day, but with so many American flags proudly displayed, every day seems like Flag Day. Perfect for reading together with a young child, F is for Flag shows in simple terms how one flag can mean many things: a symbol of unity, a sign of welcome, and a reminder that in good times and in bad-everyone in our country is part of one great big family.

 

🍎 Title: F is for Flag

🍎 Author: Wendy Cheyette Lewison

🍎 Illustrator: Barbara Duke

🍎 Publisher: Grosset & Dunlop

🍎 Date: April 15, 2002

🍎 Pages: 24

You can also go to YouTube and watch this F is for Flag read aloud video made by Stories for Kids.

American Flag Crafts

After reading F is for Flag, gather some red, white, and blue crayons, markers, and construction paper, so the children can make some flags of their own.  You can set up these materials in an art center if you'd like.

Jenna, age 3, made this American flag out of construction paper.  Obviously, there aren't 50 stars or 13 stripes on Jenna's flag.  But... Jenna could tell me that there are stars and stripes on the flag and that the flag is red, white, and blue.  Yay, Jenna!

Henry (age 5) made this flag.  Because Henry is older, he tried to make his flag look like the American flags in the book.  You can see that the blue field is in the correct place and the stripes are relatively horizontal.  Henry was able to tell me about the colors and the lack of stars on his blue field.  He said to me with all seriousness, 'Ms. Kelly, I can't make 50 stars fit on that little blue paper!'  

Liza (age 3) likes to color.  She used red and blue crayons to color her version of a flag.  When she was done with her drawing, I asked what I should write for her.  Liza wanted me to know 'The flag is red, white, and blue.'

Ben (age 4) drew a picture of a little boy.  He just learned how to draw people and was very excited.  He sweetly asked me to draw a flag for him so he could color it.  I obliged and the result is this sweet drawing.  When I asked Ben what he wanted me to write, he said, 'He is holding a flag.'

What are some other ways children can make a flag?  Do you have a cute flag project you like to make with your classes or families?  Tell us about it in the comments below.

(Next article: Creative Ways to Practice Spelling)