Kids Activities for Presidents’ Day

February 13, 2017 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Presidents’ Day is a strange holiday. Doesn’t it seem like every president should get their own special day, just for having gotten to be president?

Presidents’ Day corresponds basically to Washington’s birthday (though Lincoln’s birthday is in February, too), and is a day we commemorate, remember and learn about our presidents.

There are lots of different learning activities for Presidents’ Day. You can find books about at least some of the presidents for any grade level, or for little kids read books like Duck for President to talk about the fact that we have presidents who we vote for.

Older kids can research and learn about specific presidents, or try out some of these fun activities collected from around the web.

Free Presidents’ Day printable activity pack — Amy Lemons/Teachers Pay Teachers — craft ideas, tables and letter/word activities

Presidents’ Day learning center binder — Cortney Johnson/Teachers Pay Teachers — free printable activities including a coin toss game, drawing monuments and president flash cards (not updated for this year, but still really great)

Presidents’ Day activities — Education World — has a good timeline of the evolution of the holiday, as well as activity suggestions for all grades

Montessori-inspired Presidents’ Day activities — Living Montessori Now — spell Washington, count the numbers of the presidents, timelines and more all made with free printables

Presidents’ Day Homeschool — Simple Little Home — a variety of activities for little kids

Make your own coin design — MPM Ideas

Polishing coins — Teach Mama

If I were president writing printable — Ginger Snap Treats for Teachers — there are lots of these out there if you prefer one with more space, without lines, etc.

Log cabin craft — Toddling in the Fast Lane — made with cardboard rolls

Lincoln’s hat craft — Deceptively Educational

Presidents’ Day crafts — DLTK Kids — some general presidental stuff and specific crafts for Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Trump

Presidents’ Day word search — Newspapers in Education

Presidents’ Day memory game — Primary Inspiration

Do you do anything special to learn about Presidents’ Day or specific presidents? I’d love to hear about it.

Next Plan Idea:

Presidents Day for Kids

Have you read?

Book Review: Las Mañanitas

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply