During the month of February, try some of these fun and simple President’s Day activities in your homeschool!
While Valentine’s Day seems to get lots of attention, President’s Day is another great holiday to celebrate in your homeschool! Plus, there are lots of ways to make it educational for you kids.
We’ve come up with 11 different President’s Day homeschool activities and ideas that are fun and SIMPLE!
At The Reluctant Homeschool Mama, it is always our goal to help make homeschool life easier and more fulfilling for you and your kids. So don’t worry, no Pinterest-worthy crafts or food creations required here – just simple, educational ideas and activities that you can put together quickly!
So keep reading to check them all out!
Free President’s Day printable pages
Several of the homeschool President’s Day activities are centered on our FREE President’s Day printables, available in The Reluctant Homeschool Mama’s Free Resource Library!
To get access, click right here or on the image below!
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What is President’s Day?
President’s Day is an official federal holiday that occurs on the third Monday of every February.
The first unofficial observance of President’s Day began in 1800, shortly after the passing of our country’s first president, George Washington in December of 1799. In fact, for almost one hundred years, President’s Day occurred on George Washington’s birthday (February 22nd) and was simply called Washington’s Birthday.
In 1971, with the passing of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, President’s Day was moved to the third Monday of the month. Because this Monday often falls between Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and George Washington’s birthday, it has grown in scope to honor both important presidents in our nation’s history.
There have been some efforts to treat President’s Day as a holiday to honor all past presidents of the United States, but most of our homeschool activities here will focus mainly on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
11 Awesome President’s Day Homeschool Activities
Keep on reading to check out our President’s Day homeschool ideas!
Read biographies about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
There are nearly countless children’s books available about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.
Here is a list of books we have read and highly recommend reading with your kids to help them learn about the lives of these two great men!
Biographies about George Washington
- Who Was George Washington?
- George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chander
- I Am George Washington by Brad Meltzer
- George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff
Biographies about Abraham Lincoln
- I Am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer
- The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Carla Jablonski
- Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman
- A. Lincoln and Me by Louise Borden
Whether you read one book about each president or the entire list, these read-aloud biographies are a great way to observe President’s Day in your homeschool!
Listen to the Gettysburg Address
At just over two minutes long, listening to a reading of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is something you can do with even the youngest homeschool kids.
We love this audio version of the Gettysburg Address that also includes video of the written text.
If your kids are unsure about any of the vocabulary, just hit pause, let them ask their questions, and then keep going!
Discuss Washington’s Farewell Address
While Washington’s Farewell Address was really a letter, it is definitely worth discussing with your kids!
Many people did not want Washington to step down as president, even after he had served two terms. But Washington relinquished his power and retired to his home at Mount Vernon.
Before he did, he wrote a 32-page letter to the American people. He encouraged them to beware of strong divisions, both political and geographical.
The full-length transcript of the address can be found here.
Here are a few starter discussion questions:
- Why was it so important that George Washington voluntarily stepped down as the president?
- Do you think it would be hard to stop being the president?
- Why was being unified so important for the young United States?
- How unified do you think our country is today?
- What can you do to help our country be more unified?
President’s Day coloring pages
If you have young homeschool kids or kids who just love to color, be sure to download and print the President’s Day coloring pages from The Reluctant Homeschool Mama’s Free Resource Library!
There is one page each for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
You may consider having your kids color these while you’re listening to the Gettysburg Address or discussing Washington’s Farewell Address!
President’s Day word search printable
To help your kids get familiar with some of the common words and vocabulary you’ll be using as you discuss President’s Day, have them complete the free President’s Day word search puzzle!
There are 13 words to find in a twelve by twelve grid, so this word search puzzle is best for middle to upper elementary school grades.
Visit national historic sites
If you have the opportunity to live near a national historic park, memorial, or site that has anything to do with the American Revolution or the Civil War, President’s Day is a great day to visit!
Here’s a quick list of great George Washington and Revolutionary War sites to visit:
- Washington Monument, Washington DC
- Mount Vernon, Fairfax County, Virginia
- Minute Man National Historical Park, Lexington and Concord, Massachutsetts
- Independence Hall National Historial Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Washington Crossing Historic Park,Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
- Valley Forge National Historical Park,King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
- Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, Virginia (officially called the Colonial National Historical Park)
- Cowpens National Battlefield, Gaffney, South Carolina
And a short list of amazing Abraham Lincoln and Civil War sites to check out:
- Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
- Ford’s Theatre, Washington DC
- Lincoln Home National Historical Park, Springfield, Illinois
- Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland
- Fort Sumter National Monument, Fort Sumter, South Carolina
- Appamattox Court House National Historical Park, Appamattox, Virginia
Don’t worry if you don’t live near a National Historic Park, Site, or Memorial!
Instead, your kids might really enjoy checking out the virtual tour of Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington!
You can also take a virtual tour of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site right here!
President’s Day word scramble
If your kids enjoy a good word unscramble, we’ve got a great one for President’s Day in The Reluctant Homeschool Mama’s Free Resource Library!
(And if your kids get stuck on any of the words, they can always use the word bank on the word search for clues!)
These last four ideas for President’s Day homeschool activities are based more on learning about the office of the president than about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.
Keep reading to check them out!
Learn about the Presidential Seal
The Presidential Seal is really fascinating!
Similar to the United States seal, but unique in it’s own right, your kids might enjoy finding out what each element of the seal symbolizes!
Check out more about the Presidential Seal right here!
Learn about the executive branch of government
In learning about President’s Day, it’s a great idea to teach your kids what the president actually does!
One of the best descriptions of the executive branch of government for kids can be found here at National Geographic for Kids!
You can have your kids make a chart about the three branches of government and make a list about each one’s responsibilities.
Write a letter to the current president
Another amazing idea for celebrating President’s Day in your homeschool is to have your homeschool kids write a letter to the current president.
You can make this a great writing exercise, too! Have them write a first draft and correct it for grammatical and spelling mistakes. Then have them write a final draft.
Once their letter is ready, you can send it to:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500
President acrostic poem
A great way to wrap up your President’s Day homeschool celebration is you have your kids write an acrostic poem about the qualities of a good president.
Using the word P-R-E-S-I-D-E-N-T, your kids have to think of a word or phrase for each letter that describes the characteristics that someone needs to be a good president.
This could be a really great insightful activity for you and for your kids! Grab a free copy of the printable from our Free Resource Library right here!
Final thoughts about these President’s Day homeschool activities:
We hope you like a lot of these President’s Day homeschool activities! Remember, you don’t have to do anything grandiose.
Just choose a few that seem like the best fit for your kids and go for it!
Happy President’s Day!
Related articles with homeschool help for moms:
The 5 Best Paper Planners to Help You Organize Your Homeschool
How to Create an Amazing Personalized Daily Schedule as a Homeschool Mom
How to Successfully Work from Home and Homeschool (without Losing Your Mind!)
9 Important Secrets to Help with Homeschooling This Year
The Best Advice for How to Start Homeschool
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Which of these fun President’s Day homeschool activities are you most excited to do?
