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Shortly after Valentine’s Day, advertisements and commercials inundate our inboxes and interrupt our television shows, touting all of the sales and discounts to be had in the days leading up to President’s Day. The holiday, which commemorates both Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s birthdays, finds many of us — with young children home from school that day — looking for President’s Day activities for kids.
Initially designated to commemorate George Washington’s birthday on February 22nd, President’s Day became a legal holiday in 1879 but was moved to the third Monday of February once Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971. The initiative was designed to promote family connection and thus the nation was rewarded with four long weekends per year. Read on for some fun activities for you and your preschooler during the long President’s Day weekend.
Day off from school? Here's what to do on President's Day
Most schools are closed on President’s Day. If you have the day off, too, you might as well get out and enjoy the day off with the family! Here’s what to do on President’s Day:
1. Visit a presidential museum, library, monument, or historical site.
Chances are there’s something presidential to do nearby. Check out the Federal Depository Library Program site for a list of sites, monuments, and libraries to help plan your outing.
2. Visit a zoo, museum, or botanical garden.
If the weather cooperates, take a trip to your local zoo or garden to visit with animals and enjoy the fresh air.
3. Take advantage of the long weekend with a camping trip.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a state that doesn’t get snow, President’s Day weekend is the perfect time of year to take the family camping.
4. Make paper bag puppets with your kids.
Too cold to go outside? Make your own presidential paper bag puppets with this tutorial from Sight and Sound Reading.
5. Help your preschooler discover money the Montessori way.
Montessori education focuses on practical life skills in learning. What better way to incorporate history and science than with a coin-polishing Montessori-inspired activity?
President's Day activities for preschoolers
Educators and seasoned parents argue that play should be the focus for preschoolers. Early-childhood development experts, like Nancy Carlsson-Paige, agree.
“Decades of research and theory tell us that play is the primary way that young children make sense of their world,” Carlsson-Paige, author of Taking Back Childhood, told The Washington Post. “Play is how children maintain emotional balance; it’s how they cope. Play is such a driving force in children’s lives that it is sometimes called the engine of their development. No one teaches children how to play, yet they all know how to do it.”
So, despite your preschooler not being ready to fully grasp the concept of government, if you’re simply looking for fun activities to incorporate into their day, consider including some of these age-appropriate President’s Day activities for preschoolers. Beth Gorden is a homeschooling mom who runs the blog, 123 Homeschool for Me, which is chock-full of free printables and activities like these:
6. Have your kids dress like our 16th president with this Abraham Lincoln hat and beard plate cutout craft.
Gorden suggests pairing the craft with an edible log cabin activity. “I gave the kids graham crackers, large pretzel rods, small pretzel sticks, and peanut butter to build a log cabin,” Gorden wrote. “The kids got really creative and had fun building.”
7. Help your preschoolers assemble their own tricorn hats from construction paper.
During George Washington’s presidency, fashion dictated that men wear tricorn or three-corner hats to showcase their wigs. Ironically, the wigs were worn to control the spread of not-so-stylish head lice.
8. Teach your kids about the Stars and Stripes.
This tape-resist American Flag craft is perfect not just for President’s Day but for Flag Day and the Fourth of July.
Kid-friendly books for President's Day
Current research stresses the importance of reading to children and its impact on kindergarten readiness. “Kids who hear more vocabulary words are going to be better prepared to see those words in print when they enter school,” Ohio State University assistant professor Jessica Logan told Ohio State’s news site.
9. President’s Day by Anne and Lizzy Rockwell
This book by the mother and daughter, author, and illustrator duo introduces young children to President’s Day.
10. Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
This hilarious picture book features Duck, who is tired of Farmer Brown’s rules. Duck decides he’s going to hold an election and run for president so he can take charge of the farm.
11. The Boy Who Would Grow Up to Be President Obama by A.D. Largie
This beautifully illustrated book will command your preschooler’s attention with its simple text and expressive illustrations — a great introduction to our first Black president.
12. Future President by Lori Alexander
This book — part of the Future Babies board book series — introduces littles to the world of astronauts, engineers, doctors, and of course, the Commander-in-Chief.
