President’s Day Lesson Plan for Kindergarten

Today I wanted to bring to you a Presidents Day Lesson Plan for Kindergarten or First Grade.
Last year, my mother (Mrs. Karle), my children and I had the pleasure of attending an author’s conference in which Jim Aylesworth came to speak.    At the conference, we discovered one of his books:  Our Abe Lincoln.  

Presidents Day Lesson Plan for kindergarten. Fun Book and Activity for Kindergarten students to do on President's Day

Presidents Day Lesson Plan for Kindergarten

Our Abe Lincoln is a really cute book about the youth and presidency of Abraham Lincoln.  The song contains verses that you sing to the tune of “The Old Grey Mare.”  (I really encourage you to watch that youtube video with your little one, it made my kindergarten little one and I laugh like crazy…Beware, the song contains the word underwear in it, and talks about pulling down underwear.)

Our Abe LincolnOur Abe LincolnAmazon Buy Now Button

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Anyway, back to Our Abe Lincoln -For example, the first verse goes…
“Babe Abe Lincoln was born in the wilderness, born in the wilderness, born in the wilderness, Babe Abe Lincoln was born in the wilderness…Many long years ago”.

The book goes through 12 different verses to describe the life and times of Abe Lincoln in song.  It is fun to sing the verses and have the children repeat after you.  There are fabulous pictures by Barbara McClintock, which can be used to help explain to the little ones what each verse means…(There is also a glossary in the back of the book that goes further in depth as to what each verse is about).

Story of George WashingtonStory of George WashingtonAmazon Buy Now Button

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After reading and singing Our Abe Lincoln, I would read a book like the Story of George Washington by Patricia A. Pingry.  I would have the students help make up a song to that story as well.  Here is how my song would go:

Babe George Washington was born in the colonies,
born in the colonies,
was born in the colonies,
Babe George Washington was born in the colonies,  many long years ago.

Boy George Washington never chopped a cherry tree,
never chopped a cherry tree,
never chopped a cherry tree,
Boy George Washington never chopped a cherry tree, many long summer ago.

True George Washington was praised for his honesty,
praised for his honesty,
praised for his honest,
True George Washington was praised for his honesty,  many good deeds ago.

Smart George Washington taught himself in school,
taught himself in school,
taught himself in school,
Smart George Washington taught himself in school, many school days ago.

Tall George Washington married Martha,
married Martha,
married Martha,
Tall George Washington married Martha, many brave days ago.

Strong George Washington was General in the war,
General in the war,
General in the war,
Strong George Washington was General in the war,  many brave days ago.

Swift George Washington crossed the Delaware,
crossed the Delaware,
crossed the Delaware,
Swift George Washington crossed the Delaware, many cold days ago.

Great George Washington was our first president,
was our first president,
was our first president,
Great George Washington was our first president, many long terms ago.

Wise George Washington refused to become a king,
refused to become a king,
refused to become a king,
Wise George Washington refused to become a king, many long years ago.

I would probably then make a Venn diagram with the students comparing and contrasting Abraham Lincoln’s life and George Washington’s life.

I would then take a picture of each child and have them cut/place a hat on their head (either George Washington’s hat, or Abe Lincoln’s hat, or a ‘presidential’ hat, and I would have them complete the writing prompt:  If I were president, I would…(They could even write it on the back of their hat!)

Presidents Day Lesson Plan for Kindergarten

AND, that is what I would do if I were president…OR, if I needed a Presidents Day Lesson Plan!

Free Presidents Day Lesson Plan and Activity Worksheet

If you would like a free copy of the activity/writing prompt that goes along with this lesson plan,  enter your email into the form below and the activity will be mailed to you.  You will be added to our mailing list. (You can unsubscribe by following the directions that are sent with your freebie or unsubscribe from the newsletter when it arrives.  If you have any trouble, email me at [email protected].  Enjoy!

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President's Day Picture Frame Writing Prompt
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Need some Fun Winter Literacy Ideas for your classroom?  Check out our Winter Literacy Fun Pack on TPT!

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Madreen Karle is a master first grade reading teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She taught reading in a special needs and English as a Second Language classroom. After retiring she wrote a reading program to help others learn how to teach reading. She is a trusted educator and author of 5 books to help teach children to read and write. In addition to her books, she is a mentor for 3 websites that give reading teacher tips (Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound ReadingMrs. Karle’s Reading Patch, and Mrs. Karle’s Handwriting Patch). Through her teaching she learned that confidence was the key to learning to read. A child who is not confident at reading does not like to read and struggles to read. Mrs. Karle created “sunshine moments” to help teach children how to grow their confidence and learn to read.
Meeghan Karle Mousaw (Madreen’s daughter) has her Master’s in Special Education. She has 8 years experience teaching children to read online. In addition, she developed a curriculum to teach children handwriting called The Handwriting Patch. With the Handwriting Patch learning is fun because children learn to draw and learn handwriting at the same time. In 2019 The Handwriting Patch curriculum became an amazon best seller the first year it was released, helping thousands of kids learn handwriting with a unique, fun method. She is mom to 6 kids, each with differently learning abilities and struggles.
The Reading Patch was established by the creators of Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading. Together they have been featured on the NBC media outlets and Parents Magazine online. Over the last 8 years in their online platform, Madreen and Meeghan have worked tirelessly with teachers, homeschoolers and parents looking to help children learn to read to become a trusted authority in teaching children to read and advocating early literacy skills. They often partner with other educational experts to deliver the most current information to the Reading Patch community.

9 Comments

  1. What fun ideas! We’ll have to look for these books! #ThoughtfulSpot

  2. These are great President’s Day ideas!! It is good to teach children about the presidents because it is just not being taught much these days. I heard that they are taking down some of the historical places which means eventually our country’s heritage will be forgotten!

  3. Our Home of Many Blessings says:

    Great ideas,thanks for sharing!!

  4. Christine says:

    I love this! Such cute ideas. Thanks for linking up to Meetup Monday!

  5. These are perfect for the holiday! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!

  6. Awesome post! thanks so much for sharing at #funtasticfriday !

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