10 Presidents Day Activities for the Primary Classroom
Do you study Presidents Day in your classroom? This is one of my favorite holidays to cover with students because there’s so much to learn! Come along to see 10 of my favorite Presidents Day activities for primary learners!
Why You Should Study Presidents Day in Your Classroom
So, why is this an important topic to cover? So glad you asked! Studying Presidents Day is important for several reasons. First, it will help your students understand the federal holiday and why schools, banks, and other establishments are closed. Many children in your room might not have any previous knowledge of presidents and what they do. This is a great time to educate them on this topic.
Another important reason is because it will tie in nicely with your studies on historical figures. In the primary classroom, many of our social studies lessons are on important U.S. Presidents. By learning about Presidents Day, you’ll be able to easily make the connection in a practical way.
This is also a great way for you and your students to honor former U.S. Presidents and encourage a sense of patriotism in your classroom. Being a U.S. citizen comes with many incredible privileges and I am always happy to help my students understand the opportunities before them in this country. Learning about Presidents Day is a great way to understand past accomplishments of leaders in this country and how they impact us today!
Convinced you’d like to tackle this topic in your room? I hope so! Let’s dive into 10 different activities to explore Presidents Day with primary learners.
1. Presidents Day Videos
Do you take advantage of the incredible, free resources on YouTube? There are so many great, educational videos out there that can help kick off your classroom study of Presidents Day. Just be sure to preview videos first, to make sure the material is appropriate for your learners.
For example, this video provides a great overview of Presidents Day, why we celebrate it, and even includes some facts about specific presidents. This would be an excellent choice to start with if you’re looking for a simple way to introduce this topic to your students before diving into learning materials. Another option is this great playlist from PBS that provides short, one-minute clips for 43 different presidents. You can skip around, pick and choose, or watch them all little by little.
2. Presidents Day Vocabulary Cards
After watching some intro videos, it’s a good idea to review and learn important vocabulary with your students. In my classroom, I use a whole unit filled with fun activities all about Presidents Day. One of the activities included is a set of vocabulary cards that are perfect for when you begin this topic. Many important words are included such as “President”, “Holiday”, and “Federal”, along with a definition for each. I like to run through one at a time with my students and see who remembers what each word means from the videos we watched before. Afterward, I usually place these in a pocket chart or staple them to a word wall for future reference.
3. Presidents Day Mini Readers
Whenever I introduce a new topic to my students, I like to give them some visuals to help connect the dots. When it comes to learning about Presidents Day, I am a big fan of these mini-readers. Inside, we cover a wide variety of facts about Presidents Day in short, digestible sentences that are perfect for primary learners. Inside my Presidents Day Unit, I have 2 different versions of these books to align with different skill levels.
The first option includes the easiest text and clip art that’s great for young students. The second option includes slightly more advanced text and more realistic clip art images. I like to work through these together as a whole class and then create an anchor chart together when we’re finished. The students also like to color the pictures after we read. I have the kiddos keep these mini-readers handy as we work through our Presidents Day activities for reference.
4. Timeline of Presidents
One of my favorite things to do with my students is create timelines. I find that this visual tool helps them grasp whatever we’re studying, and Presidents Day is no different! Inside my Presidents Day Unit, I have a large, printable timeline activity with important dates and facts about some of our most famous presidents. The birth of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are some of the dates included, along with when their birthdays became holidays.
I like to cut this timeline and build it together with my students on the board. Then, I give them each a mini worksheet version to complete on their own. This activity helps my students recall information we’ve learned and retain these important dates. Not to mention, the added component of cutting and pasting each of the timeline cards on their paper is great fine motor practice for primary students!
5. Presidents Day Picture Matching
If you’re looking for a fun and easy matching game you and your students can play together, give this idea a try! I like to find photos of a few notable Presidents online and print them off. Then, I paste them onto flashcards. It’s important to choose the ones that were mentioned in the videos or books you used in your introduction. Then, type out their names and paste them onto flashcards and students match up the pictures to the correct name. Students will have to be paying attention to complete this, and you’ll probably have some giggles along the way too! If you want to extend this activity, have them write down the name of each president and do their best to draw their portrait from the pictures you printed off. They can even add a fact or two after drawing.
6. Writing Pages & Organizers
Speaking of writing, we always take some time to write down interesting facts we have learned while studying Presidents Day. I like to use a variety of graphic organizers and writing pages to allow students to collect information. These are great to use as a whole group when you’re working through the mini-readers, or watching videos. These also work well as individual assignments for students when you’re ready to have them recall what they’ve learned so far.
In my room, we start with graphic organizers to get our thoughts straight and then use those to help prompt sentence writing. Every student is different and it’s always fun to see what stood out to them in our lessons about Presidents Day. You’ll also find some fun clipart included that students can color, cut out, and add to their writing pages when they’ve finished writing.
7. Presidents Day Spin, Tally, and Graph
As a primary teacher, I am always looking for ways to weave our topic of study into all subject areas. If we’re learning about a particular topic, such as Presidents Day, it’s nice to have math and literacy centers that reflect it. That’s why I love this Spin, Tally, and Graph activity! This is a great independent center activity for your students and ties in beautifully with your Presidents Day studies.
To play, each student will get a worksheet with a spinner featuring Presidents Day pictures. They will use a paperclip or plastic spinner to spin and mark a tally under the correct space based on what they spun. Students will spin a total of 30 times. Then, they will use the data from their worksheet to graph how many they got of each one. If you want to take this one step further, you can also give students the corresponding worksheet to interpret their data as well. This is so great to help students learn to make sense of the information and think critically.
8. Word Searches
Remember all those vocabulary words we covered at the beginning of the unit? Use these word searches to review them and help students practice visual discrimination skills! There are 2 different options included to allow for differentiation. One of the options includes 10 different words to find and specific instructions for what color to use when students find them. The second option includes 17 different words and also asks students to color each one a specific color. These make a great independent work activity or center station!
9. Digital Presidents Day Activities
Do you use digital activities in your classroom? I find that technology integration is great for so much more than virtual learning, and we use it as often as possible in my room! Inside my Presidents Day Unit, many of the activities also come in a digital version. This option opens in Google Slides and can be used for instructional use with students, review as a whole group, individual assignments, and even center time options. One of my favorite ways to use the digital slides is during the introduction with my group. I can pull up the slides or activities I want to use and project them on the front board for everyone to see. Some slides define Presidents Day and key vocabulary words, making them perfect for introducing this topic. All of the information in the mini-readers is also included on the slides so you can walk through it together as you project the slides on the board.
That’s not all though! Many of the activities included in the printable version are also included in digital format. Students will use drag-and-drop features to create timelines, answer comprehension questions, and even complete a graph. Whether you choose to use these activities with your whole group, assign them to individual students, or use them in a distance learning format – these are sure to be a hit!
10. Presidents Day Crowns
I am a total sucker for a cute crown craft! I just think they’re a fun way to celebrate so many different occasions and allow students an opportunity to be creative. Inside my Presidents Day Unit, you’ll find some cute crown templates that are perfect for finishing up your Presidents Day studies! Just print off a template for each student, allow them to color and decorate it, and then use sentence strips or yarn to attach them to form a crown. Everyone will love wearing these home before Presidents Day!
Make Planning Presidents Day Activities a Breeze
Want to simplify your planning with the tried and true activities here? Good news… you can grab them all inside my comprehensive Presidents Day Unit! Inside you’ll find all of the fun activities mentioned here as well as reference posters, comprehension questions, additional coloring pages, ideas for use, and so much more. This unit is jam-packed with both printable and digital activities so you can take the guesswork out of your planning and just get straight to learning! Check out the Presidents Day Unit in my TPT Shop and have fun learning all about this important topic with your students.
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Check out this post next for more fun activities to use in February in the primary classroom!
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