How to Teach Kids About Pearl Harbor

The devastating attack on Pearl Harbor is a major event in American history, as it was the direct cause for America to get involved in the Second World War. Then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt described it nicely when he called it “a date which will live in infamy”. Since then, Americans commemorate the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th every year.  

Many lives, including students’, were forever changed as a consequence of the attack on Pearl Harbor. This further emphasizes the importance of this day, which shouldn’t go unnoticed. The topic of Pearl Harbor for kids is not an easy one to teach, but nevertheless, students in upper elementary school, middle school, and high school need to learn about this event and its significance in our society. 

If you need guidance on how to teach kids about Pearl Harbor, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll share some basic facts and key information you need to include when teaching about Pearl Harbor. We’ll also include teaching resources and materials, as well as specific activities that are easily adjustable to any lesson plan.  

Overview of the History

Pearl Harbor is an American naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, the event that took place there in 1941 was so shocking and devastating that today the name itself is associated with the attack. 

The attack was a result of a number of historical precedents that can be traced back to the 1920s. Both Japan and the US had a severely strained relationship when WWII began, but the ongoing peace negotiations and the unannounced military action where more than 2,000 people were killed (without formal notice or declaration of war) later defined the attack on Pearl Harbor as a war crime.  

What Led to the Attacks on Pearl Harbor?

There are many things that need to be taken into account when talking about the causes of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

First, there had been tensions between Japan and the US ever since the 1920s, although it wasn’t until 1931 (Japan’s invasion of Manchuria) that circumstances began worsening. Japan’s intentions were to invade China but in order to achieve that Japan planned to expand to Southeast Asia and to territories of the Pacific Ocean. Many of these territories were occupied by countries that were friends of the US. 

Second, by 1939, WWII began, with Japan, Germany, and Italy on one side, and Great Britain, France, and China, on the other.  In a time of war, countries make decisions and take measures under pressure, which would not happen in a normal situation. This is exactly what occurred in 1941. 

Japan found itself in an unfavorable position and made a wrong decision thinking it was a necessary step in order to be able to execute its war plan. Destroy the Pacific Fleet, so America can’t fight back when they invaded the South Pacific. What was meant as a preventative action to keep the US from interfering with Japan’s plans, had the opposite result. The attack pushed the US to declare war and officially take part in WWII.

What Happened at Pearl Harbor? 

In 1941, the US and Japan were engaged in peace negotiations, but without results. By November that year, war seemed inevitable.

On the 20th of November, Japan sent its final proposal in the peace negotiations. The US responded with a counter-proposal that was delivered to Tokyo on November 27. Unfortunately, the day before the letter was delivered Japan’s forces left for Pearl Harbor. 

Another factor that made this attack so devastating is that Pearl Harbor was relatively undefended. This is because no one suspected that Japan was going to attack (if they were going to attack) the Hawian base that’s so close to the mainland, making it an easy target. 

The first Japanese dive-bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor just five minutes before 8 AM (local time), on a Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. In just 15 minutes, close to 200 Japanese fighter planes descended on the base. 

The consequences of the attack on Pearl Harbor were tragic and disastrous, but they weren’t crippling as Japan intended. 

Japan was able to destroy 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. More importantly, around 2,400 Americans were killed, and an additional 1,000 people were injured. 

In less than an hour and a half, everything was over.

The Aftermath

What followed after the attack was the famous speech of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the declaration of war on Japan, which meant the US was officially joining WWII. 

On December 8, 1941, one day after the attack, the president addressed the nation, promising the people that America will achieve victory, not only for defending itself but also to make sure that this kind of betrayal will never happen again. 

The same day, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war on Japan.

Pearl Harbor for Kids: Educational Material and Teaching Resources

It’s very hard to go into details, be historically accurate, simplify, and make the content kid-friendly. Fortunately, there are many resources from experienced teachers and professionals who managed to achieve just that. 

Here’s a list of our favorite educational materials and teaching resources on the topic of Pearl Harbor for kids. 

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor 

This is a very emotional book about the attack of Pearl Harbor from the perspective of a child. The title is a little explicit, but so is the topic, and the story is told through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy, Danny Crane.

Pearl Harbor: The Untold Story – History Channel Documentary

The documentary provides an in-depth look at the attack on Pearl Harbor. It talks about the background conflict that led to the event, tactically explains the attack, and includes personal interviews with veterans from both sides.

Tora! Tora! Tora!: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor (2000)

“Tora! Tora! Tora!” is a historical war film that informs and educates about the events surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many movies and series about WWII and Pearl Harbor that followed used footage from “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, which speaks about the movie’s value. 

Remembering Pearl Harbor: The USS Arizona Memorial

“Remembering Pearl Harbor” is a document that’s designed as a historical teaching resource on the events surrounding Pearl Harbor. The document contains maps, charts, inquiry questions, and historical context, which is everything you need to create a lesson plan. 

National Geographic’s Interactive Pearl Harbor Attack Map

National Geographic’s resources have immense value for teachers, especially for history and geography classrooms. For this topic, you can use the interactive Pearl Harbor attack map as a visual tool, so your students can better understand what and how things went down that day. 

Inside WWII Interactive Site – History.com

Another interactive site that offers a glimpse into the historical events that shaped WWII is History.com. This is not specific to the attack of Pearl Harbor, but does go into details, and offers valuable insight into the broader world scene of that time. It’s a great way to provide historical context, so things are clearer. 

Teaching Pearl Harbor to Kids Through Activities

Teaching Pearl Harbor to kids can go way beyond the standard book readings or watching documentaries. To make your lesson that much more valuable and memorable, implement some of the activities described below. 

Reading and Discussing Then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Speech

FDR’s speech, also known as the Infamy Speech, in which the president of that time declares war on Japan is one of the most influential speeches in history that’s still discussed and analyzed today. You and your students can jump on that train this year and make it an interesting classroom experience. 

The speech was brief, which means you can easily print it and ask one of the students to read it aloud during class. After, divide students into groups and give them discussion questions to work on. 

Also, don’t forget to mention some interesting facts, like the immediate political impact the speech had, and that it attracted the largest audience in US radio history. More than 81% of American homes listened to the President. 

Mapping Pearl Harbor

Using the resources from above, you can ask students to try and map the attack on Pearl Harbor. This will help students to consolidate the knowledge and will provide you with amazing feedback on how well the students have understood the developments that occurred that day. 

Creating a Timeline of WWII and Pearl Harbor

Another way to make things so much easier to understand is to help children organize the events of WWII and Pearl Harbor through a timeline involving everything that they have learned so far. This is also beneficial in making connections between several different lessons, as the events of  WWII are not something that can be fitted into one class. 

Learning Through Interactive Worksheets

Finally, making use of high-quality worksheets can really help students remember key information in a fun way without feeling overwhelmed. An additional benefit of using worksheets is that your workload would be greatly reduced. All you have to do is find the right material (we have you covered there!), download, and print them. That’s it.  

Here are some links to our facts and worksheets bundles that will be useful for teaching kids about Pearl Harbor. 

• Pearl Harbor Facts & Worksheets bundle – 11 ready-to-use Pearl Harbor worksheets that include information about war leaders, U.S. Battleships, FDR’s speech, and so much more. 
• Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Facts & Worksheets bundle – 11 ready-to-use Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day worksheets that teach students about the annual commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

We recommend that you browse our whole section on U.S History, as there are many other worksheet bundles that include information about WWII and other related events. These are useful for providing historical context or remembering topics that were taught in the past but are important for understanding Pearl Harbor. 

Before You Leave

Pearl Harbor is a major milestone in American history. But, if you find it hard to approach kids with topics regarding dark periods of history, we hope that this was just the right article to help you overcome these difficulties. Specifically for Pearl Harbor, we believe that you can easily make a memorable lesson plan using the resources we have provided in this article. 

We can also recommend visiting our website and browsing through our collection of worksheets and curriculums in the section on American History, where you can find many other resources that are helpful for providing context, such as our WWII bundle. 

More than that, we can support you by providing insightful articles like this one here. Check out our blog for more content regarding current trends and issues in children’s education.