10 Presidents Day Activities Preschool Kids Will Love: Simple, Hands-On Ideas for Home

Presidents Day can be a fun, meaningful holiday for preschoolers when it’s brought down to their level with play, stories, and hands-on activities. Instead of focusing on dates and long biographical facts, you can highlight simple ideas like “helpers,” “leaders,” and “America” through crafts, games, and pretend play at home. The activities below are designed to be easy to set up, use basic supplies, and keep everything screen-free and developmentally appropriate for daycare and preschool-age children.

Presidents Day Activities Preschool Kids Will Love

Before diving into activities, it helps to simplify what Presidents Day means for little ones. Preschoolers don’t need detailed history lessons; they benefit more from big-picture ideas like:

• Some adults are leaders who make rules and help keep people safe
• We can show respect by listening, helping, and being kind
• The American flag, coins, and certain buildings (like the White House) are special symbols

You can frame the day as “a time when we remember and thank the leaders who helped take care of our country.” Keep explanations short and tie them back to things your child already understands, like classroom rules and helpers at daycare.

Activity 1: Coin Rubbing Art

This simple activity introduces kids to presidents on coins while building fine motor skills.

What you need:

• A few clean coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters)
• White paper
• Crayons with the paper peeled off

How to do it:

1. Place a coin under a sheet of paper.
2. Show your child how to gently rub a crayon sideways across the paper.
3. Watch the president’s face and coin details appear like magic.
4. Talk about how these special pictures help us know what the coin is worth.

You don’t need to name each president unless your child is curious; the focus is on noticing details, feeling textures, and using hands and eyes together.

Activity 2: Build a “White House” With Blocks

Turn block play into a mini Presidents Day project by building a pretend White House or “leader’s house.”

What you need:

• Wooden blocks, LEGO bricks, or any building set
• Optional: small toy people or figures

How to do it:

1. Show a simple picture of the White House (from a book or printed image, if you have one) or just explain that it’s a big white house where the president lives and works.
2. Invite your child to build their own “White House” with blocks.
3. Add toy people and pretend they are leaders making kind rules, like “We take turns” or “We help each other.”

This helps preschoolers connect the idea of leaders and rules to something concrete and familiar, while strengthening spatial skills and creativity.

Activity 3: Red, White, and Blue Sensory Bin

A patriotic sensory bin lets kids explore colors, textures, and patterns while you casually mention the colors of the American flag.

What you need:

• A shallow bin or plastic container
• Red, white, and blue items: pom-poms, paper strips, blocks, cups, or even dry pasta colored with food coloring
• Scoops, spoons, and small containers

How to do it:

1. Fill the bin with your red, white, and blue items.
2. Add scoops and cups and invite your child to explore.
3. As they play, point out the colors: “The American flag has red, white, and blue, just like your bin.”
4. You can also sort items by color or size for extra learning.

This activity supports fine-motor skills, sorting, and early math, and can be reused throughout the week.

Activity 4: “Kid President” Dress-Up and Role Play

Preschoolers love pretending to be important helpers. A “Kid President” game turns Presidents Day into a chance to practice leadership and kindness.

What you need:

• Simple dress-up items: a hat, scarf, jacket, or even a homemade paper badge
• A chair or pillow as the “president’s seat”
• Paper and crayons for “rules” or “helping ideas”

How to do it:

1. Invite your child to dress up as “Kid President.”
2. Have them sit in the special seat and think of “kind rules” for the family, like “We say please and thank you,” “We share toys,” or “We hug when someone is sad.”
3. Write or draw these rules on a paper together and post them on the fridge.
4. Take turns being president so you can model thoughtful, gentle rules as well.

This activity helps children connect leadership with caring behaviors, rather than just power.

Activity 5: Patriotic Pattern Bracelets

Make simple red, white, and blue bracelets to practice patterns and fine-motor control.

What you need:

• Red, white, and blue beads or cereal (like colored O’s)
• Yarn, string, or pipe cleaners

How to do it:

1. Cut a piece of yarn or use a pipe cleaner as the bracelet base.
2. Show your child a simple pattern: red–white–blue, red–white–blue.
3. Invite them to copy or create their own patterns as they string beads.
4. Talk about how these colors are often used to celebrate Presidents Day and other national holidays.

If beads are too small or a choking concern, use large pasta pieces or cut-up paper straws instead.

Activity 6: Simple Flag Art

Create a preschool-friendly version of the American flag without worrying about perfect details.

What you need:

• White paper
• Red and blue crayons, markers, or paint
• Optional: star stickers

How to do it:

1. Draw a simple rectangle and a small square in the top corner to outline the flag.
2. Invite your child to fill in the square with blue and add stars (stickers or drawn).
3. Help them make red stripes across the rest of the flag.
4. Talk about how the flag is a special picture for our country and we sometimes see it on Presidents Day.

This supports hand control, attention to direction (horizontal stripes), and an early sense of national symbols.

Activity 7: Storytime About Helping and Leading

You don’t have to find a specific Presidents Day book to talk about leadership and kindness; many picture books about helping, sharing, and being brave fit the theme.

How to do it:

1. Choose a bedtime story that shows a character making good choices, helping others, or solving a problem.
2. After reading, ask simple questions: “How did they help others?” “What kind choices did they make?”
3. Connect it back to Presidents Day: “Some presidents try to help lots of people, just like the character did in the story.”

This keeps the focus on values rather than memorizing historical facts and makes discussions feel natural.

Activity 8: “Presidential” Parade at Home

A mini indoor parade burns energy and gives kids a chance to celebrate.

What you need:

• Homemade flags (paper on a stick or straw)
• Drums made from pots, pans, or boxes
• A short, upbeat instrumental song (optional, if you want background music without screens)

How to do it:

1. Help your child make a simple flag or decorate a paper sign with hearts and stars.
2. Line up stuffed animals or siblings for a “parade.”
3. March around the room with flags and gentle drumming.
4. Talk briefly about how some holidays, like Presidents Day, have parades or ceremonies to celebrate important people.

This supports rhythm, coordination, and a sense of community celebration.

Activity 9: “Thank You, Leaders” Card

Focus on gratitude for helpers and leaders your child already knows, such as teachers, firefighters, or community helpers, alongside presidents.

What you need:

• Paper or a folded card
• Crayons, stickers, or stamps

How to do it:

1. Ask your child who helps them feel safe or who makes rules that keep people safe (e.g., teachers, school crossing guards).
2. Help them create a simple “Thank you, helpers” or “Thank you, leaders” card with drawings and scribbles.
3. If possible, deliver or take a picture of the card to share with that person.

This reinforces the idea that leaders and helpers come in many forms and that we can show appreciation.

Activity 10: Simple Presidents Day Snack Talk

You can turn snack time into a gentle learning moment without extra work.

How to do it:

1. While you share a simple snack, mention that some people today are talking about Presidents Day.
2. Keep it simple: “Presidents help make big decisions for our country, like making rules to help keep people safe.”
3. Ask one easy question, like, “What kind rules would you make to help people?” and let your child answer freely.

This keeps the conversation at their level and respects their attention span.

Tips for Making Activities Work on a Busy Weeknight

Presidents Day activities don’t need to take over your evening. To keep things manageable:

• Pick just one or two activities to try, not the whole list.
• Use what you already have at home; it doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect.
• Let activities double as your regular playtime so you’re not adding extra pressure.

If your child is tired, a calm activity like coin rubbings, simple flag coloring, or storytime is enough. If they’re energetic, a parade or block-building project may be a better fit.

Supporting What They Learn in Daycare or Preschool

Many daycare and preschool classrooms also touch on Presidents Day with simple crafts, songs, or stories. When you do a few of these activities at home, you help your child:

• Recognize familiar themes and symbols (flags, leaders, helping others)
• Feel proud sharing what they did in class and at home
• Build a bridge between home and school learning

You can ask their teacher what they’re doing for Presidents Day and echo one small idea, such as using the same colors or reading about helping and kindness. This consistency reassures children and strengthens what they’re learning.

Bringing Presidents Day Learning to Life at Home

Presidents Day becomes much more meaningful for preschoolers when it’s celebrated through simple, hands-on play that fits naturally into your evening routine. By using easy activities like coin rubbings, flag art, building a “White House,” and red, white, and blue sensory play, you help your child explore ideas like leadership, helping others, and national symbols in a way they can actually understand. These quick, screen-free moments also support fine-motor skills, early math and literacy, and the social-emotional lessons they’re already practicing in daycare or preschool. 

If you’d like a childcare partner who reinforces this kind of playful learning all year long, consider reaching out to Baby Steps Daycare and Preschool to see how they can support your child’s growth with themed activities, caring teachers, and a warm, homelike environment.