2021 marks the 76th anniversary of VE Day. VE Day – or Victory in Europe Day – is marked on 8th May and commemorates the Allies accepting the surrender of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Sadly we won’t get an additional Bank Holiday to enjoy the anniversary as it falls so close to the May Bank Holiday.

Last year we enjoyed decorating our house to celebrate the anniversary of VE Day. We had a socially distanced street party, which was strange, but worked. It’s something I want my children to know about too which is why I thought it would be fun to search my archives for crafts to celebrate VE Day. I’ve added some other ideas from other bloggers to create this post featuring 8 crafts to celebrate VE Day.

Crafts to celebrate VE Day

VE Day painted rocks – we love to create painted rocks and made a series of special VE Day painted rocks last year. We kept our rocks quite simple, decorating them with the Union flag, the words VE Day and the date, as well as red, white and blue bunting.

Model Battle of Britain Bunker – we loved our visit to the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge and we’re looking forward to it re-opening shortly. It’s a great place to look more about the Second World War and the role the bunker played. They are always sharing fun crafts and activities and we loved the activity to create your own Battle of Britain Bunker on their website.

Read Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian – my son is in Year 6 and got to read Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian earlier this year. The story is set in the Second World World War in which a curmudgeonly widower living in a small village takes in a nine-year-old evacuee from London. The widower soon realises that his young charge has been damaged both mentally and physically at the hands of his strict mother. He sets about undoing the damage, but as his tenth birthday looms, the child is summoned back to the city.

Build an Anderson shelter model – if you loved reading Goodnight Mr Tom then you might want to try building your very own Anderson shelter model, just like the one William helped put in their garden. Anderson Shelters were made of six plates of corrugated iron with two metal faces at either end. They were around almost 2 metres long and almost 1.4 metres wide. They were designed to accommodate six people. The shelters had foundations dug out and were half buried in the ground to make it stable. This would make a fun activity to build your own model of an Anderson Shelter.

Union flag craft stick – our craft stick union flag is perfect for celebrating Royal weddings, St George’s Day and VE Day too!

Wooden clothes peg airplane – my daughter loved making a wooden clothes peg airplane when we visited our local museum. This craft is similar and you only need a few craft materials to make one.

Gas mask craft – during the Second World War all children and adults had to carry a gas mask with them in case of a gas attack. This gas mask craft for kids helps you make a cardboard box just like the one everyone carried during the war.

London Guard craft stick – the Life Guards sit on their horses outside Horse Guards Parade. Along with the Queen’s Guards, they are responsible for guarding the Queen’s palaces. Their iconic uniform of a bright red tunic and bearskins was easy to re-create in our craft activity.

Why not add hand drawn paper bunting to your activities? There are some really fun crafts and activities to celebrate VE Day this year. Make a delicious British-themed afternoon tea and get crafting!