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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.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Constitution Day
  • New Year's Day
  • Independence Day
  • A.The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
  • B.The start of a new year on January 1
  • C.Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights
  • D.The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
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 did workers want a Labor Day in the 1880s?
  • A.To rest and be thanked for their hard work
  • B.To mark the first snow
  • C.To start the school year
4.Why do you think people started Decoration Day after the Civil War?
  • A.Stores wanted to sell more hats
  • B.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  • C.People wanted a day to go swimming
5.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
6.Why did people want a holiday for Dr. King?
  • A.Because he was a President
  • B.Because he invented a machine
  • C.To honor his work for fair and equal rights

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — C (Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights) 2. Constitution Day — D (The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787) 3. New Year's Day — B (The start of a new year on January 1) 4. Independence Day — A (The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776)
  2. 2.So the whole nation could give thanks together
  3. 3.To rest and be thanked for their hard work
  4. 4.So many soldiers had died, and people wanted to remember them
  5. 5.To remember the day the news of freedom came
  6. 6.To honor his work for fair and equal rights

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