Why Do We Celebrate Presidents' Day?
Presidents’ Day, a national and federal holiday, is celebrated on the third Monday of February. The holiday was originally established in the 1880s to celebrate the birthday of George Washington on February 22. The holiday was later shifted to the third Monday in February and became popularly known as Presidents’ Day, celebrating Washington's birthday in combination with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, which is also in February. The day is sometimes seen as a way to celebrate the lives of all U.S. Presidents.
Printables for Presidents' Day
Use these Presidents’ Day worksheets, cross-curricular printables, lesson plans, and classroom activities to teach your class about why George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were important. Presidents’ day word searches, puzzles, coloring pages, art and STEM activities will keep students of all ages interested in politics and government. Explore the biographies below to learn about the lives and presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Then, use quizzes to assess students' knowledge of U.S. history..
Videos & Activities
View our short videos about Presidents' Day and extend your students' knowledge with the extension activities prepared for each video.
Printable Worksheets & Activities
Teach your students about Presidents' Day with these printable activities. Includes reading short biographies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and creating a mini-book on each, as well as learning the requirements to be president and the election process.
- Could You Be President?
- My Book About Abraham Lincoln
- My Book About George Washington
- George Washington Biography: A Reading Warm-Up
- Patriotic Word Search
- The Washington Monument
- More Favorite Presidents' Day Printables Gallery, Grades K-8
Presidents' Day Lesson Plans
Our Lesson Plans will help students understand Presidents' Day with activities such as creating trading cards after completing internet research, writing a letter to the president, and learning about the election process.
- What Can We Learn About Character from the Presidents of the United States?
- The Presidential Election Process
- Write a Letter to the President
- The Era of Thomas Jefferson
- Presidential Trading Cards
- More Presidents' Day Teacher Resources
Slideshows
Browse our collection of slideshows to find resources to enhance your curriculum about Presidents' Day. Students will learn a more personal side to the president, such as his children or pets, and White House traditions.
- Favorite Presidents' Day Printables Gallery, Grades K-8
Technology Resources for Presidents' Day
Using our Technology Resources will enhance your teaching strategies and lessons as well as extend students' learning and understanding about Presidents' Day.
- The Era of Thomas Jefferson
- Celebrating Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day Games & Puzzles
Keep students engaged in learning about Presidents' Day with these game and puzzle resources.
- Meet the Presidents
- More
Art, Music, & Drama Activities for Presidents' Day
Bring the arts into your lessons on Presidents' Day with students creating and illustrating mini-books, using a silhouette to write a story, and more.
- My Book About George Washington
- George Washington Silhouette
- All About the Presidents Mini-Book
- Our Traveling Presidents
- More
Literature Resources for Presidents' Day
Interconnect your Presidents' Day lesson with our Literature Resources, including writing a letter to the president, now or in another time period, and reading passages along with warm-ups with comprehension questions.
- Write a Letter to the President
- Jean Fritz's American History Books
- Historical Fiction Reading Warm-Up: The Gettysburg Address
- So You Want to Be President? Literature Guide
- World War II: Letter to the President
- Lincoln's Last Days Teacher's Guide
- Daily Journal Topics: Honest Abe
- More Presidents' Day Literature Resources
Math Activities for Presidents' Day
Incorporate math skills with these Presidents' Day activities. Includes solving word problems after learning biography information and decoding quotes.
- What Can We Learn About Character from the Presidents of the United States?
- George Washington Word Problems
- Quotations by Famous Presidents
- More Math Activities for Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day Activities for Language Arts
Your students' reading and writing skills will be expanded with these warm-ups and comprehension questions, along with writing exercises using creative thinking skills.
- What Can We Learn About Character from the Presidents of the United States?
- Write a Letter to the President
- Jean Fritz's American History Books
- If I Were the President
- Lincoln Wordsearch
- So You Want to Be President? Literature Guide
- Dolley Madison Biography Reading Warm-Up
- Log Cabin Pattern
- More Popular Presidents' Day Activities for Language Arts
Presidents' Day Activities for U.S. History
Take a look into history with these Presidents' Day social studies and history resources. Includes reading passages about different presidents, a KWL chart, and creating a pop-up book.
- What Can We Learn About Character from the Presidents of the United States?
- Lincoln-Douglas Style Debate Procedure
- Jean Fritz's American History Books
- Dwight D. Eisenhower's Little Rock Response
- The Lincoln Memorial
- The Era of Thomas Jefferson
- Theodore Roosevelt
- George Washington: Father of Our Country
- More Popular Presidents' Day Activities for U.S. History
References
Refer to our resources on Presidents Day to enhance your lessons and students' learning, as well as reading skills.
- U.S. President's Cabinet
- President Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. Biography
- President George Washington Biography
- President James Monroe Biography
- President Theodore Roosevelt Biography
- Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
- More Popular Presidents' Day References
Social Studies Activities for Presidents' Day
These social studies printables and activities for Presidents' Day include facts and figures charts, comprehension questions, and a quiz on the first ten presidents.
- Jean Fritz's American History Books
- Know the Presidents
- So You Want to Be President? Literature Guide
- President George Washington Biography
- Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural Address
- First 10 U.S. Presidents Quiz
- More Popular Government Resources for Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day Biographies
Interesting facts from our Presidents' Day Biographies will enhance your teaching strategies. Includes learning about a president, then creating and illustrating a mini-book, as well as completing a timeline.
- My Book About George Washington
- Jean Fritz's American History Books
- The Era of Thomas Jefferson
- James Earl Carter, Jr.
- Abraham Lincoln Time Line
- President George Washington Biography
- More U.S. Presidents' Biographies
American Flag Printables for Presidents’ Day
- American Flag Color Printable
- What You Should Know about the American Flag
- Flags of the U.S.A Mini-Book
- More American Flag resources
Additional Presidents' Day Resources
If you enjoyed these resources for Presidents' Day, click the links below to see our resources for more information regarding presidents, elections and the government.
- U.S. Presidency Resources
- Elections Teacher Resources
- U.S. Government Resources for Teachers
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