Presidents’ Day is one of those holidays that sneaks up on teachers yearly. After the holidays and winter break at the end of the year, January feels like the beginning of the year again. February is when our classrooms are finally getting back into the swing of school. That’s when we remember Presidents’ Day and the fact that we need some Presidents’ Day activities for our students!
There are many great options for Presidents’ Day activities, but I will share some of my favorite activities for Presidents’ Day with you.
Presidents’ Day Activities with Books
As teachers, books are just automatically included as activities for Presidents’ Day. Or really any holiday, special occasion, or random Tuesday afternoon. Here are a few of my favorite books for Presidents’ Day.
* Each book title links to Amazon just to make it easy – you can read reviews, a summary, and order should you choose! (This post contains affiliate links.)
Presidents’ Day (An introductory book about Presidents’ Day!)
Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell, (Fun Fact: This book is illustrated by her daughter Lizzy Rockwell!) is a great place to start your activities for Presidents’ Day. This easy-to-understand picture book for young learners helps walk your students through what exactly Presidents’ Day is. It also focuses on why we celebrate the holiday in the United States. This book has been praised by teachers like you as a great book to introduce Presidents’ Day without overloading young learners.
P is for President (A book full of alphabet activities for Presidents’ Day!)
Another great book for young students’ Presidents’ Day activities is P is for President by Wendy Lewison. This amazing book will allow your students a peek into the life of the President of the United States. From campaigning to elections to becoming President and fixing problems, the President has a big job. Your students will get to see and learn a little bit about it all!
If I Were President (A great Presidents’ Day springboard book!)
By Catherine Stier, If I Were President is a book all about what it might look like to become President of the United States. This book starts off by allowing students to imagine all of the excitement about being President and the perks that may come with the job. However, it quickly moves into how important the job of POTUS actually is. The people of the United States count on the President to take care of them and represent them well. Even though the President is the most visual job in the United States, it is also one of the most important.
George Washington & Abraham Lincoln’s Presidents Day Activities
Arguably two of the most important Presidents in the history of the United States are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington was the first POTUS and had been a military leader before that. Lincoln was the sixteenth President. He was the leader of the country during the Civil War when the country split in two over the issues surrounding slavery. In the United States, we used to celebrate both of their birthdays individually, but now we celebrate one day instead. We celebrate Presidents’ Day, which happens to fall between both men’s birthdays in February, the third Monday of the month. It is to celebrate both Presidents and all the other commanders-in-chief the United States has had and will have in the future.
George Washington (One of the guys that Presidents’ Day celebrates!)
Let’s Read About–George Washington by Kimberly Weinberger is all about the first President of the United States of America. This book is a great one for sparking activities for Presidents’ Day and discussions about the first President of the United States. This simple biography about George Washington is chock full of information about his life and the important things Washington did.
Abraham Lincoln (Another great President to focus on for Presidents’ Day!)
Let’s Read About–Abraham Lincoln by Sonia Black is about the sixteenth President of the United States. With basic information about his early life and the important contributions Lincoln made, your students will learn a lot. Lincoln was President during one of the most difficult periods of United States History, and it is important for our students to know about him.
February Themed Classroom Fun Including Presidents’ Day Activities
One of my favorite things to do in the classroom for Presidents’ Day is a fun scavenger hunt. The February Themed Scavenger Hunt has printable, editable scavenger hunts for Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, and Presidents’ Day! These activities are great for students to get up out of their chairs while learning important facts about these holidays in February.
Color-by-Code Activities for Presidents’ Day
One of my favorite activities for Presidents’ Day is to print off these pre-made Color-by-Code Presidents’ Day activities. This is a great resource for students to sit quietly and work on while listening to some Presidents’ Day books being read, as early finisher work, or even as a stand-alone activity.
Presidents’ Day Activities for your Classroom
Incorporating some activities for Presidents’ Day is easy and fun with all of these great options. Your students will enjoy learning some history about the United States. Which one of these activities will you choose for your Presidents’ Day activities?
Are you still looking for more ideas? Check out the FREE Reading Graphic Organizer today! This tool helps students identify the main idea, story elements, and beginning, middle, and end of stories. It can be used with any story you want to introduce in your classroom, and best of all, it’s FREE!
