How to Teach Children about Presidents' Day

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By Joyce Mann
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U.S. presidents atop Mt. Rushmore

Teaching kids history can be daunting. In an episode of the TV classic The Andy Griffith Show, Opie and his school buddies are bored to tears by American history until Andy takes it upon himself to tell the tale of Paul Revere's ride as a riveting, heart-stopping adventure yarn.

Parents or caregivers of children may not possess the storytelling acumen of an Andy Griffith, but with a bit of pre-planning you can teach kids that the third Monday of February is celebrated for far more important things than deep discounts at the shopping mall.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

U.S. coins
Map of the USA
calendar

Step 1

Lincoln and Washington

Learn the history of the holiday yourself.

February evolved into the month for celebrating U.S. presidents because both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln shared February birthdays. On February 22, 1832 -- one-hundred years after Washington's birth -- his birthday became a federal holiday. On February 12, 1866, Lincoln's birthday was first celebrated; this occurred the year following his assassination.

In 1968 Congress passed legislation requiring that federal holidays fall on Mondays. In 1971 President Nixon combined Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into one -- the third Monday of the month. Over time Presidents' Day evolved into a day to commemorate all U.S. presidents.

Armed with the above information, you can weave in as little or as much of it as you want when engaging your child in the following activities.
Step 2

Is there a Kennedy half in here?

Empty your pockets of loose change.

Pennies, nickels, dimes -- they add up to familiarize kids with U.S. presidents. Even young children can learn the names of the presidents on the commonly used U.S. coins. And for kids learning basic math skills, coins are a great tool. Kids love to stack things, and it's great fun for all when a youngster first learns that a stack of five pennies equals one nickel.

Currently the U.S. Mint is issuing a series of one-dollar, gold coins of the presidents in the order in which they served. The four coins issued in 2009 include Presidents Harrison, Tyler, Polk and Taylor. Older kids may want to start a collection. And the color of gold is a visual delight when compared with other metals.
Step 3

Map quest

Open up a map of the United States.

If focusing on just Washington and Lincoln, point out Virginia and Kentucky, the states these two hailed from. Older kids can do a research project -- identifying every state that produced a U.S. president. From Buchanan in Pennsylvania to Obama in Hawaii, this is a treasure hunt for the whole family.
Step 4

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

Take down that wall calendar and set it on the coffee table.

Just as a map helped in identifying home states, a calendar can inform your child of presidential birthdays. Focus on your child's birthday month, and together discover which of those heads of state were born the same month as your child.

Happy Presidents' Day!