What is Month of the Military Child?
The Month of the Military Child (MotMC), in April, is a campaign to raise awareness about the important role Service children play in the Armed Forces community. It is a time to recognise Armed Forces families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome.
In the US, the MotMC has been around since 1986. In the UK it is still gathering momentum. The RAF Families Federation are keen to amplify this initiative to shine a spotlight on this group.
Get involved
School and childcare providers
Let your child(ren)’s education settings know about the MotMC!
We encourage schools and childcare providers to listen to children and young people from an Armed Forces background to learn about and celebrate their unique experiences. The MotMC provides a great opportunity for schools to partner with children and young people to increase their understanding of military life and develop the support they offer to Service children. There are lots of ways that they can get involved:
- Celebrate – Encourage children to create artwork, poetry, stories or presentations that celebrate their role as a military-connected student.
- Identify – Ask parents / carers to let you know if they are serving or have served in the Armed Forces. Identify a member of staff to take the lead in supporting children from military-connected families.
- Listen – Engage and listen to learn about military-connected students’ experiences and the support they feel would help them to thrive in education.
- Develop – Visit the Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance website to learn about the SCiP network and how the Thriving Lives Toolkit can help schools to evaluate and develop the support they offer to children from an Armed Forces background.
- Connect – Consider connecting with the military bases in your area who may be able to offer outreach activities, share updates from units and highlight support that is available to military families.
- Reflect – Use the Royal British Legion teaching resources to explore the meaning of Service and remembrance.
- Inform – Share information in the school newsletter or website to raise awareness of the support you offer to children from an Armed Forces background.
- Purple Up – Consider having a ‘Purple Up’ day and wearing purple to celebrate children from Armed Forces families. Purple was chosen as it combines the various colours associated with different branches of the military.
Families
The RAF Families Federation website has lots of information to support the RAF community including a section on Education and Childcare which highlights resources and organisations offering support to the Armed Forces community. Here are a few suggestions of how families can get involved with the MotMC:
- Visit the Little Troopers website to explore the activities and resources they have on offer.
- Explore the MotMC resources on the Supporting Service Children in Education Cymru website.
- Contact your local RAF HIVE to find out about events and support in your area.
- Visit the Never Such Innocence website to find out about their Voices of Armed Forces Children programme and for ideas from Never Such Innocence on how young people and schools can get involved with the MotMC.
- Share your pictures and stories with us at the RAF Families Federation or tag us on social media to let us know how you celebrate the MotMC.
The flower of the Military Child
The Dandelion is known as the flower of the military child:
Dandelions are hardy plants which put down strong roots almost anywhere the wind carries them. It’s a survivor and blooms in a broad range of climates.
Military children may bloom wherever the wind takes them. They can have strong roots, planted swiftly and surely. They’re often ready to fly in the breeze to new adventures, new lands and new friends.
