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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 20 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.
  • Presidents' Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Juneteenth
  • Independence Day
  • A.Remembering when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free
  • B.Remembering people who died serving in the military
  • C.Honoring George Washington and other Presidents
  • D.The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
2.Why did workers want a Labor Day in the 1880s?
  • A.To start the school year
  • B.To mark the first snow
  • C.To rest and be thanked for their hard work
3.Why might families share a big meal on Thanksgiving?
  • A.To honor a new President
  • B.To give thanks and share a harvest meal
  • C.To remember the end of a war
4.Why do many towns hold parades on Veterans Day?
  • A.To welcome spring
  • B.To show thanks to people who served
  • C.To sell new cars
5.Why did Lincoln ask for a Thanksgiving Day in 1863, during the Civil War?
  • A.To choose a new flag
  • B.To start the Civil War
  • C.So the whole nation could give thanks together
6.Why did freed people first celebrate Juneteenth in 1866?
  • A.To welcome the summer rain
  • B.To remember the day the news of freedom came
  • C.To open a new school

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Presidents' Day — C (Honoring George Washington and other Presidents) 2. Memorial Day — B (Remembering people who died serving in the military) 3. Juneteenth — A (Remembering when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free) 4. Independence Day — D (The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776)
  2. 2.To rest and be thanked for their hard work
  3. 3.To give thanks and share a harvest meal
  4. 4.To show thanks to people who served
  5. 5.So the whole nation could give thanks together
  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.