Fun Activities for Presidents Day

President’s Day provides a fun way to learn about American history through those who have called the White House home. If you’re looking for some lesson plans and fun facts to include in your homeschooling, then you’ll love these President’s Day activities for your family.

History of President’s Day and Trivia

Two of our most famous presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, both were born in February. While the holiday was originally intended to celebrate George Washington’s birthday specifically, now the day honors all the past presidents. This federal holiday is celebrated on the third Monday of February. Having this national holiday on a Monday also allows many workers to enjoy a three-day weekend.

You can have a great time testing your kids’ knowledge of interesting facts about the presidents. For example, do they know which of the founding fathers died on the same day? It was in fact on July 4^th, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The answer is John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. While they were political foes during their time in office, they became friends later in life.

Presidential Trivia

Here are some more trivia questions about the American presidents that you can ask the kids as you celebrate President’s Day:

• Who was the youngest president ever elected? John F. Kennedy became president at the age of 43.
• Who was the oldest United States President when elected? Joe Biden was 78 when he was sworn in.
• How many presidents have been from Virginia? Eight presidents were born in Virginia! That would include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, John Tyler, and Woodrow Wilson. 
• Which president became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after he served as president? William Taft is the only person in American history to have served as both the Chief Justice and president.
• Which president is the teddy bear named after? Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt refused to kill a captured bear on a bear hunting trip in 1902. Soon a Brooklyn shop owner began creating stuffed bears and named them “Teddy” after the president. Roosevelt even used the teddy bear as his mascot when he ran for re-election.
• Which president said: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” That would be Abraham Lincoln.
• Who said: “live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.” That was Ronald Reagan.
• Check out these 10 Lesser-Known Presidential Quotes to add to the trivia fun.

Presidential Knowledge Quiz

Head on over to this 10-question Presidential Knowledge Quiz and see how you do with you knowledge of the U.S. Presidents! You can even challenge your teens to beat your score. How well do they know the history of presidents?

President’s Day Activities & Crafts

It’s always a great idea to find some a picture book of Abraham Lincoln or about the other presidents you want to learn about. Then, consider some of these fun craft ideas to keep your kids engaged and their hands busy. Talk about their favorite presidents and the contributions they made to our country.

Round-Up of Craft Ideas

You can find 11 fun crafts featuring Washington and Lincoln from creating the famous top hat worn by Honest Abe to building their own log cabin from popsicle sticks. Sometimes it’s fun to make log cabin replicas using skinny or large pretzel sticks and icing. Or consider learning about the presidents using coin rubbings. You’ll find links to many Abraham Lincoln crafts plus learn how your kids can create a George Washington wig with cotton balls. You’ll find all these ideas and more with this Free President’s Day Crafts round-up.

Dress-Up and Puppets

Young students will love making dress-up costumes to look like their favorite president. You can help them research the time period and figure out how to make an outfit that looks just right. 

Another fun idea for young kids is to create puppets of U.S. presidents using paper lunch sacks. This way, you can go all out with the crafting materials, including yarn hair, googly eyes, and other unique parts, to craft your favorite president. Then encourage your kids to put on a short puppet show talking about the most memorable parts of that president’s life or term in office. Your older kids could also script out a puppet show for the younger kids! It’s a great idea to include all ages in celebrating presidents day plus learning new information about their lives.

Hands-On Learning 

Grab the colored beads and string and help your younger children make a patriotic necklace to celebrate the day. Talk about the colors on the U.S. flag and what they represent. With just a pile of construction paper, you can help your kids draw the presidential seal. The motto of the U.S.A. is seen in a ribbon in the American eagle’s beak: E PLURIBUS UNUM, or “Out of many, one.” What does that mean? Talk about the symbolism of the bald eagle and the arrows and olive branches in the eagle’s claws. This one craft activity on its own could become a whole social studies lesson for all your kids!

Free Printables for President’s Day

For all ages, consider finding some free virtual field trips of presidential homes like Mount Vernon. Or, find an online resource about the making of Mount Rushmore. Research the presidents that are represented on that monument. Consider creating a printable book about what your kids learn, or use the notebooking process to keep track of fun facts.

Now for the younger kids, there are many themed activities and printables to help celebrate this holiday.

First, print out this free “If I Were President” printable and enjoy reading what your kids would do if they were president of the United States.

You can find additional printable crafts to celebrate President’s Day including coloring pages, writing prompts, learn to draw tutorials and more.

The older kids don’t have to be left out of the fun! You can find some printable activities for your older children that include cheat sheets, a fun quiz, plus some interesting projects. For example, your older students can head directly to the source material and analyze President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation with a speech analysis and copywork activity. Or deep dive into learning about Andrew Jackson and John Tyler with a President’s Trivia Research Unit.