Presidents Day for Kids

February 13, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Presidents Day is an American holiday to honor and remember the leaders of the nation. It’s a combination of the celebrations for the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom were born in February. While they are the emphasis, it’s a time to celebrate other people who have been president as well.

123 Homeschool 4 Me has a mini unit on Presidents Day that includes a worksheet for kids to design a new coin, write about what they would do as president and explore who they would add to Mount Rushmore.

Kindergarten Creations has a writing activity for kids to write what they would do if they were president, complete with a cute photo of the kid decorated in the style of Washington or Lincoln. Older kids can write more than younger ones but this is a fun activity for a range of ages.

Get free printable worksheets about Abraham Lincoln from The Purposeful Nest.

Do a little Presidents Day STEM by cleaning some coins with guidance from the US Mint. Speaking of coins, you can also do coin rubbings or make patterns with coins (or do math with coins, for that matter!). These and other ideas are on the list from The Educator’s Spin on It.

Learn a bit about some of the favorite foods of the presidents from Make and Takes, and maybe make a presidential inspired snack. (Fun fact: Joe Biden loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.)

You can also read books about the presidents or do presidential Mad Libs. A few good books with general information about the presidents include A Kid’s Guide to U.S. Presidents, Facts and Stories about the Presidents of the United States of America for Curious Kids and Our Country’s Presidents, which is a National Geographic book.

Older kids can learn about the qualifications to be president and host a mock election campaign (also great for 2024 as I write this because it’s an election year).

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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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