President’s Day Ideas: From Festive Fun to Meaningful Activities to Celebrate
President’s Day is an important U.S. federal holiday that honors all American presidents as patriotic leaders and role models who have made lasting contributions to the country’s values, history, and growth.
Rather than just treating it as a long weekend, President’s Day presents a valuable opportunity to celebrate national pride, engage with pivotal periods and leaders in American history, and participate in activities that evoke civic responsibility.
With a mix of festive events and meaningful experiences, you can make President’s Day a truly enriching and celebratory experience for your family, classroom, organization, or local community.
This article explores creative President’s Day ideas for commemorating the holiday through fun celebrations and impactful learning activities that inspire growth.
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Get the Festivities Started with Fun President’s Day Ideas
Who says learning history can’t be fun? Kick off your President’s Day plans with exciting celebrations that get people smiling, laughing, and feeling that patriotic spirit.
March in a Star-Spangled Parade
What could be more presidential than a patriotic parade? Rally parade floats, marchers, and musicians to put on a show to remember. President’s Day ideas for your all-American parade include:
- Decorate floats with red, white and blue banners, balloons, streamers, and other patriotic flair. Encourage participants to do the same.
- Have marchers dress up as presidents or other key historical figures. Options include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., and more.
- For a hometown touch, incorporate your city or state’s history into parade elements. Showcase local leaders and trailblazers.
- Play American classics and fife-and-drum music on loudspeakers to set the mood.
- Hand out mini American flags and Uncle Sam hats for guests to wave and wear.
- Consider reaching out to school bands, scout troops, veteran groups and civic organizations to march. This strengthens community spirit.
- End the parade route at a park or other venue where guests can enjoy food, games, activities, and camaraderie after the parade.
Dine at a Presidential-Themed Picnic
For all-American food and old-fashioned fun, a presidential picnic is one of the fantastic President’s Day ideas to please crowds. Here are tips for the ultimate themed picnic:
- Select a picturesque park, community green space, or even your backyard as the picnic locale.
- Ask guests to bring red, white or blue dishes like berry pie, pasta salad, and blue corn chips to share.
- Grill up hot dogs, hamburgers and other classic American BBQ fare.
- Print presidential trivia questions and scatter them on picnic tables to spark conversation as you eat.
- Plan lawn games like sack races, three-legged races, and cornhole. Hand out stars-and-stripes ribbons to winning teams.
- Bring a portable speaker to play patriotic tunes, presidential speeches, and other themed audio.
- For a cute photo op, set up a cardboard cutout of the presidents for guests to take selfies with.
Host a Presidential Film Marathon
Invite guests over for President’s Day ideas like binge-watching films related to U.S. history and the American presidency. Some top picks include:
- “Lincoln” – Daniel Day-Lewis delivers an Oscar-winning portrayal of this iconic president.
- “All the President’s Men” – This journalism thriller depicts the Watergate scandal that shook Nixon’s presidency.
- “Thirteen Days” – The Cuban Missile Crisis provides dramatic tension in this historical drama.
- “Air Force One” – Harrison Ford stars as a president pushed to heroic measures to save his family.
- “Dave” – Laugh along at this lighthearted comedy of an average citizen who ends up posing as POTUS.
As you watch, share fascinating facts about each president’s legacy. Pause for discussions about leadership styles, ethical dilemmas, and decision-making under pressure. Make sure to provide film-friendly refreshments to enjoy!
Show Your Patriotism at a Presidential Museum
Tap into educational magic with President’s Day ideas like spending it at a museum or library dedicated to American presidents. Options across the country include:
- Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Illinois
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Michigan
- Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Georgia
Call ahead to check for special exhibits, activities, or speakers scheduled for the President’s Day holiday weekend. You may find opportunities like historical reenactors, arts and crafts, storytelling, and more. Keep an eye out for student pricing and family-friendly programs to make it an enriching experience for guests of all ages.
Get Competitive with Presidential Trivia
This is the perfect chance to flaunt your presidential knowledge. Consider President’s Day ideas like testing your smarts by hosting trivia games focused on POTUS facts, scandals, elections, assassinations, and other pivotal moments.
Break into teams with clever names like “The Founding Fathers” and “Washington Wins-tons.” Prepare clever, challenging questions that will put participants’ knowledge to the test. Award patriotic prizes to the winning team like American flag sunglasses or tickets to a presidential museum.
Making learning interactive and competitive will ensure trivia night is anything but boring. You’re bound to learn new details about American history in the process!
Inspire Action with Meaningful President’s Day Activities
Beyond just having fun, this day presents a prime opportunity to engage people in meaningful civic activities. Here are some highly impactful President’s Day ideas:
Volunteer With a Presidential Purpose
Choose a community service project that ties to the values of an admired president. For example:
- Plant trees or clean up parks to honor Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy.
- Volunteer at food banks and shelters in homage to FDR’s New Deal policies.
- Organize care packages for deployed troops to salute Reagan’s support of the military.
- Build homes for veterans or low-income families to emulate Carter’s human rights leadership.
Explicitly share with volunteers how the service activity connects to that president’s vision. This provides powerful historical context and symbolism.
Stage Your Own Presidential Election
Experience the excitement and complexity of the democratic election process this President’s Day by hosting a mock presidential contest. Fun President’s Day ideas include:
- Elect a fictional student council president. Have teams campaign with posters, speeches and debate performances. Set up a DIY ballot box and voting station.
- Create animal candidates like Champion the dog versus Comet the cat. Let kids craft campaign materials touting presidential qualities like leadership, honesty and intelligence.
- Research past presidential campaigns and have students reenact key speeches, debates, and ads. Discuss their rhetorical effectiveness.
Debriefing how the electoral process mirrored or differed from actual elections provides an enriching opportunity to explore civics in action.
Write to the Current POTUS
Hands-on civic engagement can start today through letters addressed to the current U.S. president. Guide children by these President’s Day ideas:
- Providing kid-friendly facts about the president like age, background, and number of years in office.
- Sharing examples of prior presidents’ historic achievements to spark ideas.
- Explaining proper letter formatting and etiquette when addressing the president.
- Assisting them in articulating their thoughts, questions, concerns, and hopes for the country.
Mail the letters or have young writers personally deliver them to a local legislator’s office. This shows youth that their voices matter.
Discuss Leadership Lessons Through Book Clubs
Books provide a powerful lens for examining the triumphs and tribulations of historic presidents. Form a reading group around an insightful biography or historical novel set during a major presidential administration. President’s Day ideas can include meeting regularly to discuss key aspects of the president’s leadership and legacy.
If you’re looking to start a new book club, consider joining the popular Bas Bleu book club, which offers a diverse selection of titles on history, politics, and leadership. Be sure to use these Bas Bleu coupons to take advantage of discounted pricing on your book club selections.
Wherever you get your books, here are some key topics to explore in your discussions:
- The president’s personality, leadership qualities, background, and path to office.
- Their greatest challenges while in office, how they responded, and what they learned.
- Their political style and ability to pass impactful legislation.
- Their global influence, reception by citizens, and ultimate legacy.
Dig deep into character, motives, and context alongside your fellow book club members. Your perspective on what makes an extraordinary leader will grow exponentially.
Recreate and Analyze Legendary Debates
Some of the most pivotal moments in presidential elections are debates, where rhetorical finesse can make or break campaigns. Spark dialogue by recreating famous presidential debates and analyzing how they shaped history. These are meaningful President’s Day ideas.
Good options include Lincoln vs. Douglas, Kennedy vs. Nixon, and Reagan vs. Carter. Have students research key issues of the time and the candidates’ positions. They can then face off in teams, channeling debate details and the leaders’ speaking styles. Record and watch the reenactments. Discuss stand-out messaging techniques, from metaphors and repetition to humor and body language.
Gaining insight into how iconic debates shifted public opinion makes for an eye-opening history lesson. Students’ own oratory skills will be strengthened as well!
Conclusion
President’s Day is so much more than just a day off work or school. With a mix of lighthearted celebration and meaningful activities, it can be an opportunity to bring people together, spark change, and inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
Rally your community, get creative, and honor the presidential legacy through immersive experiences. Just remember – infuse educational value in every activity and – most importantly – make your celebrations distinctly yours.
This President’s Day, don’t just take a day off – take a day on. A day when we come together as families, communities, and a nation to honor those who have led us. A day when we reflect on leadership qualities like integrity, empathy, and civic duty. And a day when we pledge to carry forward the enduring values that make this country great.
