Memorial Day will be commemorated on Monday, May 26, 2025. Children will have time off from school, and many adults get the day off. Families can spend a special time together.
To help set context about the meaning of Memorial Day, consider reading a book to your children. Help them, in age-appropriate ways, to understand that, on Memorial Day, we honor military members who gave their lives to serve the United States and defend the Constitution. Here are recommended picture books and books for other ages.
If you’d like to go to an event in the Cleveland area, there are numerous options available to you.
Fox8 shares links to parades across Northeast Ohio, something that young children through people who remain young at heart can anticipate and value. Watch soldiers and community leaders and groups march, listen to bands play rousing patriotic songs, and clap for each group that participates as they pass by. You can attend one close to home or explore a new community together.
Children and adults alike can look forward to warm spring days, and late May often qualifies in Northeast Ohio. You can pack a basket with foods your family loves—from chicken and potato salad to sandwiches and apple slices washed down with glasses of cold lemonade—and head to a park. They can be part of the Cleveland Metroparks system or the Lorain County Metro Parks. Spread a blanket, enjoy lunch, and then watch your children run and laugh on a playground. If it’s warm enough, enjoy pools opening on Memorial Day weekend.
Or, you could hold the picnic in your own backyard, followed by running races or playing a game of catch on your lawn. That may make it more relaxing.
On Cleveland’s Public Square, you can see the Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument. This monument commemorates the patriotism, courage, and sacrifice of men from Cuyahoga County who fought for the Union during the Civil War (1861-1865).
On Friday, May 30, families can watch a ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon to honor veterans who lost their lives in service to the country. Why May 30? This is the traditional Decoration Day that more informally honored soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War. After World War I, the day began to honor people more formally in the United States who fought in any war.
After the ceremony, tour the monument for free from noon to 5:30. Inside the monument, you can see four bronze relief sculptures that portray the Women’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Aid Society, Beginning of the War in Ohio, Emancipation of the Slaves, and End of the War at City Point, Virginia. See the names of the men from Cuyahoga County who fought in the Civil War along with busts of soldiers and more.
In short, on Memorial Day, honor brave servicemen and women and spend meaningful time with your family!
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer in America, which means that Horizon Summer Camp is just around the corner. Our military veterans are real-life heroes, while our 2025 Summer Camp theme is superheroes. If you haven't yet signed your child up for Summer Camp, now is the time to set your child up for a summer of exciting activities and events, as well as helping them find their superpowers and fighting the dreaded summertime brain drain. Answer the call and register today!