El May 9 is Europe Day, and this day together with the flag, the anthem, the motto and the single currency identify the European Union as a political entity and how do you explain this to your children? We show you some examples so that you can do it in an accessible way, according to their age, and the child's own experience of Europe.
Traditionally various activities and cultural festivities are held on Europe Day to bring this idea of unity closer to all the people and peoples that make up the Union. To find out and participate in the virtual experiences you just have to visit the specific page for this day: europeday.europa.eu. If you want to attend in person the activities organized in Madrid and Barcelona, you also have the information in the same link.
Explain the flag and motto of Europe to the children
One of the most well-known symbols of Europe, if not the one that is the most important is its flag. The European flag symbolizes both the European Union and the identity and unity of Europe. It's formed by 12 yellow stars in the shape of a circle on background a blue background. The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of Member States.
These yellow stars represent the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe. Of course, even if there is a single flag for the EU, each member country still has its own. There are currently 27 countries and if you want to play to find out each flag you just have to do it in the virtual learning zone for children of the European Union.
The motto that is used in Europe and of which we have already given you a clue is: United in diversity. This was used for the first time in 2000. And it refers to the great diversity of cultures, traditions and languages of the continent, and how Europeans have come together to work for peace.
Another of Europe's symbols: its anthem
The anthem of the European Union crosses borders. This is the only symbol that it is from all over Europe, whether or not the countries belong to the EU. Its melody comes from Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. What the German musician did was put music to Friedrich von Schiller's poem: Ode to Joy.
The Ode to Joy expresses Schiller's idealistic vision, a vision shared by Beethoven, of the human race as brothers. As a curiosity, you can tell your children that there are three instrumental arrangements of this symbol. One for solo piano, one for wind instruments and the last for symphony orchestra.
As in the case of flags, does not replace the national anthems of individual Member States. On the contrary, in the universal language of music all countries celebrate their unity in diversity. For your children to understand this diversity well, you can download the diversity map, recommended for children over 9 years of age. As the coins and Euro notes also come, it will help you to talk about the following symbol: the currency.
The Euro currency as a symbol of Europe
Boys and girls they have only used the single currency: the euro, but we know that before there were others, one in each country. The euro has been the single currency in Europe since January 1, 1999 and entered into circulation on January 1, 2002. Having a single currency is one of the symbols of Europe.
The graphical sign of the euro is inspired by the greek letter epsilon. It is a € crossed by two horizontal parallel lines, and also refers to the letter from which the word Europa begins. The two parallel lines represent stability, did you know? Another curiosity of the Euro is that it cannot be scanned, you can try to do it with your children. This is so that they cannot be forged.
For your children to learn much more about the European Union, its symbols, derechos that they have as citizens and more things, we recommend you navigate with them through the Learn Europe page. In it you will find games, didactic material, trivia and much more, all oriented by age.