While I love a good school holiday, a part of me also wishes we were in school on some holidays. Teachers could teach students the importance of the holiday on its actual day! However, many holidays have lost significance and are simply a Monday off. Presidents’ Day is one of those holidays. Luckily, these Presidents’ Day activities will help you teach your students about this holiday and the critical position of the president. Consider adding a few of them to your lesson plans during the week of Presidents’ Day!
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President’s Day Video Activities
Video is always a great way to engage students! Videos make a great mini-lesson and can save teachers a ton of time. Thankfully, this video by Homeschool Pop is the perfect overview of the holiday, how it began, and more!
In addition to the holiday, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are often focal points taught about on this day or during February. Nonetheless, every president has left a mark on our country. Luckily, there are several biography videos ready to go. Check them out below!
- Biography of George Washington
- Biography of Abraham Lincoln
- Biography of Thomas Jefferson
- Biography of Theodore Roosevelt
After students are familiar with the presidents, finish your lesson with this fun video-based trivia game. Your students are sure to learn some new facts about our Presidents!
Presidents’ Day Close Reading Activities
Close reading is an incredible way to teach important reading skills and strategies in a very intentional way. Teaching close reading in the classroom is a fantastic way to practice annotating and increase reading comprehension in upper elementary.
Luckily, this President’s Day Close Reading passage is an excellent way to connect reading instruction to this holiday. Using this differentiated reading passage, students will learn about the holiday while focusing on reading for understanding, vocabulary, and reading for details. Finally, students will apply what they have learned from the reading passage by completing a writing prompt on the topic. It’s a great activity that can be done in one day or divided up and completed over 3 or 4 days.
Presidents’ Day Book Study
Another fun activity to do on or around President’s Day is a book study on the book So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George. This Caldecott award-winning book is a great way to teach kids about some fun and quirky parts of this important position. Grab the book or watch the video read aloud then set your students out on a Presidential adventure.
Designed to be a 4 – 5 day book study, students will dig into vocabulary from the book as well as a variety of reading skills and opinion writing throughout. This resource also includes a book quiz, a vocabulary quiz, and a final writing activity where students write about what they would do if they were president. Students are also challenged to think about how their lives would be different. This fun book study comes with a print and digital version!
These printable and digital activities are perfect for Presidents’ Day. You can also use them for a government unit or as a mentor text for your opinion writing lessons. Fill a week of lessons, or pick and choose what to do if time is limited.
Book-Free Activity
The best part about the printable and digital activities is it doesn’t require an actual book! Luckily, the book is available as a read-aloud with video on several websites. Try out Book Flix , Epic Books, or access it here on Youtube. You can search: So You Want to Be President on any of these websites to share the video read-aloud version with your students.
More Presidents’ Day Books
Whether you are looking for a read-aloud or books to add to your classroom library, these are great books for Presidents’ Day.
- Ellie May on Presidents’ Day by Hillary Homzie
- Let’s Celebrate Presidents’ Day by Barbara deRubertis
- Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell
In addition to these Presidents’ Day books, there are also lots and lots of great books for kids about presidents.
Some Presidents’ Day Fun
It’s so easy to get focused on all the skills that we forget to add some fun to the day. Over the years I have found that students love extra activities that aren’t directly related to the main curriculum areas. BUT . . . that doesn’t mean you can’t connect them. In fact, by connecting them student engagement is often increased. Thankfully, there are plenty of fun Presidents’ Day activities for you to choose from!
- Drawing: Have students watch How to Draw George Washington or How to Draw Abraham Lincoln. Then, complete a writing activity related to a read-aloud, textbook passage, or basic research.
- Counting Money: Let students learn the value of each coin or bill, while they identify the presidents that appear on each.
- Virtual Field Trip: Take a sneak peek inside the White House, Mount Vernon, or Mount Rushmore without ever leaving your classroom!
Save these Presidents’ Day Activities
Save these President’s Day activities! Pin this to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can quickly come back when it is time to fill your lesson plans.