How to Make a Veterans Day Memory Board: A Family Storytelling Project
✨ There’s a particular scent to an old shoebox full of family photos—a mix of aged paper and priceless memories. I remember sitting with my son, sifting through pictures of his great-grandfather in his uniform, and feeling a powerful need to do more than just tell the stories. 😅 But I know that feeling of wanting to create a tribute and not knowing where to start, often ending up with something that feels a little generic. ⭐ That’s why I’m so excited to walk you through this DIY Veterans Day memory board tutorial! This is more than just a Veterans Day photo craft for kids; it’s a way to build a beautiful conversation starter, a tangible piece of your family’s history that honors your personal hero. 🇺🇸
Time Commitment: Approx. 60-90 minutes
Cost Estimate: Low-Cost (Under $25)
Skill Level: Beginner / Kid-Friendly
Why This Project is a Meaningful Family Activity ❤️
I’ll share a little “oops” moment with you. A few years back, my goal was to create a beautiful tribute to my own family’s veteran. I bought a bunch of red, white, and blue decorations, but my frustrating failure was that the final project felt impersonal. It looked patriotic, but it didn’t tell his story. The solution I discovered was shifting my focus from just “decorating” to “storytelling.”
This easy hero wall idea for families is designed to do just that. It turns crafting into a moment of connection. As you sort through photos and mementos, you’re not just making a decoration; you’re curating your family’s legacy and teaching your children about the real people who serve our country.
Your Storytelling Toolkit: Materials & Supplies 🛠️
Gathering your supplies is the first step in this family hero project. Before you buy a thing, look around your home for what you might already have!
✅ Essential Items:
- Corkboard or foam board (any size will do!)
- Patriotic or neutral-colored fabric (burlap, canvas, or simple cotton work beautifully)
- Scissors
- Staple gun or hot glue gun
- Printed photos of the family veteran (try to find some from different stages of their life and service)
- Decorative push pins or map pins
- Cardstock for writing labels or short stories
✅ Optional Embellishments:
- Letter stickers or stencils for a title like “Our Hero” or “Remembering Grandpa”
- Red, white, and blue ribbon
- Star-shaped paper punch or stickers
- Nancy’s Pick: Color photocopies of precious items like letters, certificates, or old newspaper clippings. Using copies allows you and the kids to craft without the fear of damaging a priceless original!
- Replica military branch patches or insignias
- Your child’s own drawings or handwritten notes to the veteran
💡 Pro-Tip: You can find great, inexpensive patriotic craft supplies at your local dollar store or craft store, especially in the weeks leading up to November 11th.
How to Make a Veteran Tribute Wall: A Step-by-Step Guide
This is where the magic happens! We’ll build your military memory board phase by phase, with plenty of room for storytelling along the way.
#### Phase 1: Gather Your Stories & Supplies ⭐
Before you cut or glue a single thing, this is your time for connection. Spread out your photos on the living room floor with your kids. As you look through them, share the stories behind each image. Who is in the picture? Where was it taken? What was happening? This turns a simple kid-friendly Veterans Day activity into a powerful history lesson.
image-1: A flat lay of all the craft supplies and photos neatly arranged on a table.
#### Phase 2: Prepare Your Canvas 🛠️
Now it’s time to create the backdrop for your tribute.
- 1. Lay your fabric face down on a clean, flat surface.
- 2. Place the corkboard on top of it.
- 3. Trim the fabric, leaving about 2-3 inches of overhang on all sides.
- 4. Starting on one side, pull the fabric taut and use the staple gun to secure it to the back of the board. Place a staple every few inches.
- 5. Move to the opposite side, pull the fabric tight, and repeat. Continue for the remaining two sides, folding the corners neatly like you’re wrapping a gift.
image-2: A close-up of hands using a staple gun to attach sturdy canvas fabric to the back of a corkboard.
✅ Safety Note: A hot glue gun and a staple gun can get very hot and should only be operated by an adult. This is a great step for the kids to watch!
#### Phase 3: Design Your Layout 🎨
One of the most common worries I hear from families in my community craft workshops is the fear of placing things “wrong.” Let’s take that pressure away!
As a DIY & craft expert, I can tell you the secret is to do a “dress rehearsal.” Arrange all your photos, documents, and mementos on the fabric-covered board before pinning anything down. Play with the arrangement. Move things around. Ask your child where they think a photo should go. This is the creative heart of the project.
image-3: A shot showing two different layout options side-by-side, one in a clean grid and the other in a more organic collage style.
💡 Pro-Tip: Lay your largest photo or most important item first, placing it slightly off-center to create visual interest. Then, build the story around it by layering smaller items, overlapping some just a bit to create a sense of depth.
image-4: An over-the-shoulder shot of a parent and child looking down at the board, deciding together where to place a black and white photo.
#### Phase 4: Pin, Place & Embellish ✨
Once you and your little helper are happy with the layout, it’s time to make it permanent.
- 1. Carefully, one by one, use your decorative push pins to secure each item to the board. This is a wonderful way to connect an action to the meaning of the holiday—each pin is like a little anchor, holding a precious memory in place.
- 2. Add your title using letter stickers or stencils.
- 3. Weave ribbon around the edges or behind certain photos for a pop of color.
- 4. Finally, add your other embellishments, like paper stars or your child’s drawings.
image-5: A detail shot of a star-shaped push pin going through a piece of blue ribbon to hold a photo corner in place.
💡 Pro-Tip: When using small embellishments like paper stars, try grouping them in small clusters of three. This simple design trick is often more pleasing to the eye than scattering them randomly across the board.
✅ Safety Note: Keep small items like push pins safely away from very young children to prevent any accidents.
Displaying Your Finished Tribute 🇺🇸
Find a special place to display your DIY Veterans Day memory board. Set it on a mantel, a bookshelf, or in your home’s main living area. It can serve as a beautiful centerpiece for your Veterans Day observance and a reminder of gratitude throughout the season. This also makes an incredibly touching gift to present to the honored veteran or to grandparents who share these cherished memories.
image-6: The finished memory board displayed proudly on a mantel next to a small American flag and a flickering LED candle.
Make It Your Own: 3 Creative Variations 🎨
- Kid-Friendly Version: Use a pre-framed bulletin board to skip the fabric-wrapping step. Give your child pre-cut patriotic paper shapes and a glue stick to decorate the frame. Their main job can be choosing which photos to include and telling you where they should go.
- Advanced Version: Create a tribute triptych using three boards side-by-side. You could dedicate one board to their time in service, one to their family life, and one to their hobbies and legacy. Use high-quality linen fabric and custom vinyl lettering for a polished, gallery-wall look.
- Patriotic Twist: To make it even more personal, create a “Service Branch” specific board. Use the colors of their branch (like blue and gold for the Navy or scarlet and gold for the Marine Corps) for your fabric and ribbons, and try to incorporate the branch’s official seal.
⭐ A Heartfelt Reminder: The goal of this project isn’t perfection; it’s connection. The real treasure is the time you spend together sharing stories, honoring your family’s hero, and creating a new memory in the process.
This family hero project is one of my favorite crafts for November 11th because it truly comes from the heart. It’s a powerful, visual way to say “thank you” and ensure the stories of our nation’s heroes are passed down to the next generation.
Who is the hero you and your family will be honoring on your memory board? I would love to hear about them in the comments below.
