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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 9 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.
  • Labor Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • A.Honoring working people
  • B.The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776
  • C.Honoring a leader who worked peacefully for equal rights
  • D.Remembering people who died serving in the military
2.Why did Lincoln ask for a Thanksgiving Day in 1863, during the Civil War?
  • A.To start the Civil War
  • B.To choose a new flag
  • C.So the whole nation could give thanks together
3.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
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.People wanted a day to go swimming
  • C.Stores wanted to sell more hats
5.Why might families share a big meal on Thanksgiving?
  • A.To give thanks and share a harvest meal
  • B.To honor a new President
  • C.To remember the end of a war
6.Why did people want a holiday for Dr. King?
  • A.Because he invented a machine
  • B.To honor his work for fair and equal rights
  • C.Because he was a President

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.K-2 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why We Have These Holidays

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Labor Day — A (Honoring working people) 2. Memorial Day — D (Remembering people who died serving in the military) 3. Independence Day — B (The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776) 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.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 give thanks and share a harvest meal
  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.