Presidents' Day Craft Activities for Children

Every year Americans celebrate Presidents' Day on the third Monday in January. While you wouldn't be alone if you commemorate this holiday - which honors Presidents Washington and Lincoln - by sleeping late and hitting some sales, why not have some fun with your kids? Your children will enjoy these Presidents' Day activities so much, they won't even care that they're education activities!

Presidents' Day Finger Puppets

Finger puppets are fun to make and play with! This Presidents' Day activity will show your children how to make finger puppets using loose change!

Here's what you will need:

A few sheets of construction paper - blue and black are the best colors
Scotch tape
One (Lincoln-head) penny for each President Lincoln puppet
On (Washington-head) nickel for each President Washington puppet
Scissors

Directions:

For each president, cut a three-inch square from the construction paper (blue for President Washington, black for President Lincoln). Roll the squares into tubes large enough to fit on your child's finger, and tape it to hold it in place.

To make a Lincoln puppet, tape a penny to a black paper tube, roughly one inch below the top. Cut a thin rectangle from the black paper and tape it along the top of his "head". Now Honest Abe is wearing his famous stovepipe hat.

To make a Washington puppet, tape a nickel to the top of one of the blue paper tubes.
Cut a 1 ½" square from the blue paper, and fold the square corner to corner making a triangle. (Remember making pirate hats from newspaper as a child? It's kind of like that!) Slit the center of the triangle, and slip George's hat on, folding the corners down.

If you want to dress up the presidents, use materials around the house: sequins, buttons, or clothing cut from other paper.

Abraham Lincoln's Log Cabin

If your children's favorite activities include glue, they're sure to enjoy making this two-dimensional craft for Presidents' Day.

Here's what you'll need:

Construction paper
White glue (or a glue stick)
Scissors
Popsicle sticks
Crayons
One penny for each child

Directions:

Glue several Popsicle sticks horizontally to a piece of construction paper to make the cabin. Cut a triangle out of another piece of construction paper and glue it on as the roof. Cut a door and window out of any color construction paper and glue them to the cabin. Glue President Lincoln (the penny) in the window for a finishing touch. Encourage your kids to embellish their picture, adding cut-out trees or drawing a sun, grass, and whatever they want.

Presidents' Day Windsock

Show your patriotism on Presidents' Day with this activity! Your children can craft a windsock that will make you want to stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Here's what you'll need:

Cardboard oatmeal container
Blue and white construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Red and white streamers
One-hole punch
String

Directions:

Cut the bottom off of the oatmeal container and discard the lid. Glue blue construction paper around the entire tube. Cut stars from the white construction paper and glue them onto the blue paper. Glue several streamers to one end of the tube. Punch four holes, each an even distance apart, in the other end of the tube. Tie a piece of string from one hole to its opposite hole. Tie another piece of string to the other two holes. Tie a longer piece of string to these, were the two original pieces meet, at the center of the "x". Hang your Presidents' Day windsock and enjoy!