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

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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.
  • Memorial Day
  • Flag Day
  • New Year's Day
  • Veterans Day
  • A.Thanking everyone who served in the armed forces
  • B.Remembering people who died serving in the military
  • C.The start of a new year on January 1
  • D.The first flag was chosen on June 14, 1777
2.The federal holiday on the second Monday in October is called…
  • A.Labor Day
  • B.Columbus Day
  • C.Flag Day
3.Why do you think people started Decoration Day after the Civil War?
  • A.People wanted a day to go swimming
  • B.Stores wanted to sell more hats
  • C.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
4.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
5.Why do many people help others on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
  • A.It is a day for fireworks
  • B.Dr. King believed in serving others
  • C.It is the first day of summer
6.Why did Lincoln ask for a Thanksgiving Day in 1863, during the Civil War?
  • A.To start the Civil War
  • B.So the whole nation could give thanks together
  • C.To choose a new flag

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Memorial Day — B (Remembering people who died serving in the military) 2. Flag Day — D (The first flag was chosen on June 14, 1777) 3. New Year's Day — C (The start of a new year on January 1) 4. Veterans Day — A (Thanking everyone who served in the armed forces)
  2. 2.Columbus Day
  3. 3.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  4. 4.American Indian nations and other first peoples of the Americas
  5. 5.Dr. King believed in serving others
  6. 6.So the whole nation could give thanks together

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