What are good Presidents' Day activities for different grades?
What are good Presidents' Day activities for different grades?
Good Presidents' Day activities match the grade: young children learn what a president does and meet Washington and Lincoln, upper elementary students build timelines and trading cards, middle schoolers read primary sources, and high schoolers argue about leadership with evidence. This page gives ideas by grade band, a five-day plan you can shorten, and resources that cover several grade levels in one purchase.
See the presidents resourcesFor K–2, explain what a president does, look at Washington on the quarter and Lincoln on the penny, and hold a class vote. For Grades 3–5, have students make president trading cards or a classroom timeline. In Grades 6–8, compare two inaugural addresses or analyze one decision with primary sources. In Grades 9–12, hold a criteria-based debate on presidential leadership. Presidents' Day falls on the third Monday in February and is officially Washington's Birthday.
Ready-made material
U.S. Presidents and Democracy Bundle, Grades 3–12
4 resources in one download: $44.99 instead of $62.96 bought separately.
The first cover is the main resource; the others are related options. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
U.S. Presidents and Democracy Bundle | Presidents for Grades 3–12, Direct Democracy | 4 Resources
Civics & Civil Rights Bundle | Martin Luther King Jr., Voting, Direct Democracy & Freedom of the Press | 4 Resources | Grades 5–9
Civics Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Civics
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Why it is hard
Why Presidents' Day activities often fall flat
Presidents' Day usually lands in a short February week, so activities get chosen in a hurry. The result is often a coloring page in kindergarten, a word search in fifth grade and a video in eighth, none of which asks students to think. Young children commonly believe the president is the boss of everyone and makes every rule; activities that skip the basics leave that idea in place. In upper elementary, students collect facts like favorite foods and pets, which are fun but crowd out what each president actually did. Middle schoolers can read real sources, yet they rarely get to because the holiday is treated as a break from the curriculum. In high school, “Who was the best president?” discussions can turn into arguments about current politics when no criteria are set. A second problem is focus: the holiday officially honors Washington, and many schools add Lincoln, but students may never learn why the day exists or how it changed. Finally, teachers with combined grades or families homeschooling several children need one theme at several levels, and most activities are written for a single grade.
What works
Activity ideas by grade band
Pick one activity per band, or run them side by side in a multi-grade room around the same two presidents.
- K–2: Read a picture book about Washington or Lincoln, then compare a quarter and a penny.
- K–2: Hold a class vote on a simple choice to show how elections choose a leader.
- 3–5: Make trading cards with each president's term, one major decision and one challenge faced.
- 3–5: Build a classroom timeline of ten presidents and add one world event next to each.
- 6–8: Compare excerpts from two inaugural addresses and identify each president's main goals.
- 9–12: Debate presidential leadership using criteria the class sets before any names are mentioned.
Step by step
A Presidents' Day week in five days
Use all five days or pick two. Each day works at any grade with adjusted reading levels.
- Day 1: Why we have the holidayExplain that the federal holiday is officially Washington's Birthday, observed on the third Monday in February, and that many people use it to honor all presidents. Students ask questions they want answered this week.
- Day 2: What a president doesYounger students sort job cards into things the president does and does not do. Older students read a summary of Article II and list powers and limits.
- Day 3: Meet two presidentsStudy Washington and Lincoln, or two others from your course. Younger students make trading cards; older students read a primary source from each and compare the challenges they faced.
- Day 4: Leaders and decisionsStudents study one decision by a president and its effects. Elementary groups present a poster; middle and high school students write a short evaluation based on the source evidence.
- Day 5: Citizens and the presidentClose with how citizens choose and influence presidents: voting, letters, petitions and the press. Students write or draw one way a citizen can take part in democracy.
Ready-made option
One bundle for several grade levels
The U.S. Presidents and Democracy Bundle ($44.99, parts bought separately $62.96) suits teachers planning Presidents' Day or election lessons and families teaching several grades. Inside are four resources: Meet the Presidents (Grades 3–4), Famous U.S. Presidents (Grades 7–10), Top 5 U.S. Presidents in History for older high school students, and Direct Democracy Explained, which suits the participation day. If your class is also marking Black History Month in February, the Civics & Civil Rights Bundle ($54.99, parts bought separately $79.96) adds Martin Luther King Jr. and the I Have a Dream speech for Grades 5–9.
Honest limits
What the bundle does not include
There is no resource in the bundle written for kindergarten to Grade 2, so the youngest students need your own picture books and simple activities. You also choose which presidents and decisions to feature and set the discussion norms for any debate. Check the content against your state's social studies standards for each grade you teach. The licence is for your own classroom; a grade-level team or school should send Teach Lessons a short message before sharing. Not the right fit? Within 7 days you can swap it for store credit of equal value, though not for cash.
Good to know
More teacher questions
Is Presidents' Day officially called Presidents' Day?
At the federal level the holiday is still officially Washington's Birthday, observed on the third Monday in February. Many states and businesses call it Presidents' Day, and some states honor Washington and Lincoln together. This makes a good short discussion for upper elementary and middle school students about how holidays change over time.
Which presidents should I feature?
Washington and Lincoln are the traditional choices because their birthdays fall in February. For older students, add one or two presidents from your current unit so the holiday connects to the course. Choose presidents from several eras and include decisions students can evaluate with sources, so the holiday practices the same skills as the rest of the course.
How do I avoid current politics on Presidents' Day?
Focus on historical presidents and on the office itself. Set criteria before any evaluation, use sources from several viewpoints, and keep current officeholders to factual questions about the role. If students raise current debates, acknowledge them and return to the historical question at hand, using the criteria the class agreed on.
Do these resources align with state standards?
Teach Lessons makes no claim that these Presidents' Day resources match any state standards. The executive branch and citizenship appear in many social studies frameworks across grades, but compare each resource with your state's standards for the grade you teach before you use it to cover a standard.
What works in a multi-grade classroom or homeschool?
Pick one shared theme, such as Washington and Lincoln, then give each age a different task. Younger children draw and dictate facts, middle grades make trading cards, and older students read a primary source. Share the results together at the end so everyone learns from each other.
How long should Presidents' Day activities take?
One or two class periods is enough for most classes. If you have a full week, use the five-day plan and connect the last day to voting and participation. For a short week, combine days two and three and finish with a quick reflection. Even a single period can cover the job of the president and one historical figure.
Make the holiday count
A Presidents' Day activity matched to the grade can teach how the office works and why citizens matter.
See the presidents resources