Any topic you wish to present to your preschooler can begin with a good book. Most children love to hear you read to them.
Good Picture Books About Abraham Lincoln
If you want your child to do well in school, teaching him to love books is one of the most important things you can do. Read to him often. Read to her at times other than nap time or bedtime. You don't want your preschooler to think books are only for putting him to sleep, although those are good times to read, as well. Here then, are some great picture books about Abraham Lincoln, which have received a four- or five-star rating from parents who have bought the book in the past.
- Abe Lincoln: the Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters
- Our Abe Lincoln by Jim Aylesworth
- The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Patricia A. Pingry
- So You Want to Be President by Judith St. George
Build a Log Cabin
Abraham Lincoln grew up in a log cabin. This is the classic rags-to-riches story! This is "Cinderella" for boys. Abraham was not born to a wealthy family, yet he put himself through school, became a lawyer, and eventually became president of the United States. To help your child understand this concept, you can get out the Lincoln Logs and help him build a log cabin. Today, we think of log cabins as lovely homes. They can be very expensive, even more so than stick-built homes. But the home Abe grew up in was a simple, one-room cabin. As you and your child build the log cabin, get out some small figures and play. You can cut a strip of blue construction paper for the stream that flowed near the house. Lay down sheets of brown paper for tilled soil. Get out little horses or cows or other farm toys for Abe to feed.
Earn a Book
Once Abe Lincoln borrowed a book from an old farmer. During the day, he kept it in his back pocket, and when he reached the end of a row of plowing, he'd pull it out and read one page. At night, he stuck it into the chinks between the logs of his home. But one night a terrible storm raged and soaked through the chinking in the walls. The book was damaged. Abe was an honest boy, and took the book back to the farmer. He asked how he could repay the farmer. The farmer said he could feed his stock for three days. So Abraham did. Then he went home and smoothed out the damaged pages until they dried. That is how he got his first book.
Help your child be "just like Abe". Have him do a simple chore for three days, then take him to the book store to pick out a new picture book of his own. Preschool children are capable of doing a lot, if given patient training. A preschooler can empty the dishwasher (except for sharp knives or precious, breakable dishes). A preschooler can set the table, help clear the table, sweep, sort laundry, dust furniture, wipe down walls, vacuum carpets, walk a small dog, make his own bed, wash out a sink with non-toxic cleaner, wash windows or mirrors with safe cleaners (white vinegar and water works wonderful), and pick up his toys. Pick one, for him to do three days in a row – not all of the above.
Make a Star Wreathe
Draw a five-pointed star on cardboard to make a template. Trace multiple copies of the star on red, white, and blue construction paper. Let your preschooler practice his cutting skills, and cut them all out. Then glue them to a paper plate frame with the center cut out, to make a wreathe. Hang the wreath on your door for President's Day, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.
Learn about the Abe Lincoln Memorial
Print off a coloring page of Abe Lincoln's memorial. Talk to your preschooler while he colors the page. The statue is 19 feet tall, and shows Abe sitting in contemplation. His hands, although relaxed, appear to be shaping his initials in sign language. Although it is unclear if the sculptor did this on purpose, it is possible. Abraham Lincoln supported Gallaudet University – a university for the deaf, and the sculptor's son was deaf.
Then, slip some pennies under a thin sheet of paper and let your child color over them with a pencil or crayon. See the tiny picture of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the pennies. It you take a magnifying glass, you can see that inside the memorial stands the statue of Lincoln. Therefore, all pennies are "heads" on both sides!
Play Store
Does your child have a toy cash register? If so, use that for this activity. If not, use a shoe box or other small container. Gather as many pennies as you can find, or pick up a roll of pennies at your bank. Set out a dozen or so small toys that you either buy for this game or pulled from your child's toy box. Make price tags for them – varying from one to five cents each. Play "store" with your child. You can get elaborate, adding a shopping cart, purse or wallet, dress up clothes and shoes and hats, or keep it simple.
Have the child pretend to shop. Let him pull a small handful of pennies from your hand or a bag. Count the pennies. What can he buy? Let him take several toys, help him add up how much they cost altogether, and help him count out his pennies. Repeat this activity until interest begins to wane. Quit while it was still fun, and he may want to play it again some day. You can use this as a teachable moment, and tell him about how Honest Abe got this nickname.
Learn the Pledge of Allegiance
Do you have a flag in your home? Even a small one on a stick, like people wave at parades can suffice. Stick it into a ball of clay, and set it on a shelf in the playroom. Teach your child to hold his hand over his heart, and repeat the words with you.
I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which It stands
One nation under God,
Indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
This is how it should be said, taking "breaks" at the end of each phrase only, and not in the middle of a phrase. If you would like to know more about the Pledge of Allegiance, read the famous quotation by the late Red Skelton. The Pledge is not a prayer. Do not say "amen" at the end.
Start a Penny Collection
Coins change over time, and collecting them can be an interesting, life-long hobby. Pennies cost less to get started collecting than, say, silver dollars! Collecting pennies can teach your preschooler to look for detail. Get a simple penny-collecting book, available at many discount stores. Start dumping all your pennies into a jar at the end of the day, and several times a week, dump out the jar for you and your preschooler to examine. Get a magnifying glass to make examining the detail easier.
Make a Log Cabin Snack
At snack time, set out a bowl of pretzel sticks, a bowl of frosting, a green paper plate or napkin, and a piece of brown construction paper. Show your child how to dip both ends of the pretzel stick into the frosting for the chinking, then stack the pretzels to make a log cabin. When the walls are as tall as your child wants to make them, fold a piece of brown paper to make a roof. Enjoy the cabin for a few minutes - take a picture – then let your child eat it.
Make a Future President Plaque
Help your child to cut strips of red paper and glue onto a white background, leaving a space between each strip. Mount onto a larger sheet of blue construction paper, so there is a blue frame around it. Cut out a picture of your child from a photograph, and glue onto the red and white background. With a black marker, write, "Future President of the United States." Frame, and hang on your child's wall. Help your child to learn that anyone who is born in the United States can one day become president.
Related Article
Presidents' Day Activities for Preschool - George Washington
Sources:
Morris, Charles LL.D., "The Lives of Presidents and How They Reached the White House," 1903. AllBiographies.com. Accessed February 11, 2011.
Make a Star Wreath, Enchanted Learning.Com. Accessed February 11, 2011.
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