Skip to content
LessonPrint

Why We Have These Holidays is a free printable Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies worksheet on why a holiday began and who it honors, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.14.K-2. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 14 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Why We Have These Holidays

D2.His.14.K-2

NameDate

Draw a line from each holiday to why it began. Then circle the best answer.

1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Labor Day
  • New Year's Day
  • Veterans Day
  • A.The start of a new year on January 1
  • B.Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights
  • C.Honoring working people
  • D.Thanking everyone who served in the armed forces
2.Why did Lincoln ask for a Thanksgiving Day in 1863, during the Civil War?
  • A.To start the Civil War
  • B.To choose a new flag
  • C.So the whole nation could give thanks together
3.Many places call the second Monday in October Indigenous Peoples' Day. Who does it honor?
  • A.The first Presidents
  • B.The first astronauts
  • C.American Indian nations and other first peoples of the Americas
4.Why do you think people started Decoration Day after the Civil War?
  • A.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  • B.Stores wanted to sell more hats
  • C.People wanted a day to go swimming
5.Why might families share a big meal on Thanksgiving?
  • A.To give thanks and share a harvest meal
  • B.To remember the end of a war
  • C.To honor a new President
6.Why do many people help others on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
  • A.Dr. King believed in serving others
  • B.It is the first day of summer
  • C.It is a day for fireworks

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — B (Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights) 2. Labor Day — C (Honoring working people) 3. New Year's Day — A (The start of a new year on January 1) 4. Veterans Day — D (Thanking everyone who served in the armed forces)
  2. 2.So the whole nation could give thanks together
  3. 3.American Indian nations and other first peoples of the Americas
  4. 4.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  5. 5.To give thanks and share a harvest meal
  6. 6.Dr. King believed in serving others

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.14.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.