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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 19 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.
  • Juneteenth
  • Independence Day
  • New Year's Day
  • Memorial Day
  • A.Remembering when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free
  • B.The start of a new year on January 1
  • C.Remembering people who died serving in the military
  • D.The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
2.Why did people want a holiday for Dr. King?
  • A.To honor his work for fair and equal rights
  • B.Because he was a President
  • C.Because he invented a machine
3.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
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.Many places call the second Monday in October Indigenous Peoples' Day. Who does it honor?
  • A.The first astronauts
  • B.American Indian nations and other first peoples of the Americas
  • C.The first Presidents
6.Why did freed people first celebrate Juneteenth in 1866?
  • A.To welcome the summer rain
  • B.To open a new school
  • C.To remember the day the news of freedom came

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Juneteenth — A (Remembering when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free) 2. Independence Day — D (The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776) 3. New Year's Day — B (The start of a new year on January 1) 4. Memorial Day — C (Remembering people who died serving in the military)
  2. 2.To honor his work for fair and equal rights
  3. 3.Dr. King believed in serving others
  4. 4.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  5. 5.American Indian nations and other first peoples of the Americas
  6. 6.To remember the day the news of freedom came

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