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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.

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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.
  • Veterans Day
  • Independence Day
  • Constitution Day
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • A.The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
  • B.The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
  • C.Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights
  • 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 choose a new flag
  • B.So the whole nation could give thanks together
  • C.To start the Civil War
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.The federal holiday on the second Monday in October is called…
  • A.Columbus Day
  • B.Labor Day
  • C.Flag Day
5.Why did freed people first celebrate Juneteenth in 1866?
  • A.To open a new school
  • B.To remember the day the news of freedom came
  • C.To welcome the summer rain
6.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

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

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Veterans Day — D (Thanking everyone who served in the armed forces) 2. Independence Day — A (The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776) 3. Constitution Day — B (The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787) 4. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — C (Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights)
  2. 2.So the whole nation could give thanks together
  3. 3.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  4. 4.Columbus Day
  5. 5.To remember the day the news of freedom came
  6. 6.American Indian nations and other first peoples of the Americas

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