Presidents’ Day Craft For Toddlers & Kids

I have always loved President Lincoln. Yes I am Canadian but I remember reading a book all about Lincoln and the log cabin he lived in when I was in 4th grade. It was my favorite. It’s no wonder I ended up studying history in university minoring in American history . Little did I know this would come in handy and I would end up marrying an American and raising my kids south of the border. So back to President Lincoln. There is so much to know about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln but really at such a young age our focus is to introduce and familiarize not fill with facts and drill them out of them. Kids can relate to Lincoln’s log cabin because that is was his home, they have homes and were babies once too. Use that connection to start a connection from your child to this great historical figure.

1. Gather your materials. You will need some cardboard , popscicle sticks, glue, scissors,  a flip top lid ( ours is from baby wipes), a picture or drawing of President Lincoln and some crayons.
2. Start by having your child color the card board. My daughter chose browns but color it pink , green or purple if you want.
3. While they are coloring trim the print out of Lincoln. There are tons of free clip art a quick Google search and you’ll find lots! Glue it to the flip top lid.
4. Cut the card board into a house and add the door.
5. Add glue .
6. Add the logs. She was not happy about this step because she is in a phase where she doesn’t want to touch the glue. I was wiping her hands between each stick going on.
7. Add glue to the door and glue some more “logs” on .
8. She couldn’t wait to play !
9. Let dry .

Books About Presidents

George Washington’s Teeth
by Deborah Chandra and Madeline Comora is a funny telling of how George Washington got those famous false teeth. What I like so much about this book and what my son did too is it also tells the story of the Revolutionary War. I think the brilliant thing about this book is it shows that George Washington wasn’t the super hero that he is often portrayed as. This makes him , his story and American history in general way more accessible to young kids. I can’t ignore the really fantastic tertiary lesson about dental hygiene as well.

What Presidents Are Made Of by Hanoch Piven is a simple book that brings together a collection of presidential anecdotes that will probably make you laugh more than your kids but trust me they’ll still enjoy it. It humanizes iconic figures we know and makes readers curious to learn even more about these great men. The collage style illustrations are fun and quite funny as well.

Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell is a perfect introduction to presidents, some of their major accomplishments and some major points in American history. The story follows a class putting on a play and we learn about some of the most significant presidents as the children do. Even if President’s Day is months away you can use this book while learning about money , linking the various presidents on coins and bills, or for Independence day too! Very cute and age appropriate for older preschoolers.