President George Washington Hands-on Lesson Plan for Elementary Kids

Jul 26, 2025

President George Washington Lesson for Kids

This is the 15th lesson in a series of 27 hands-on lessons covering American History through 1865. This lesson focuses on President George Washington. I used this plan while teaching a 45 minute history class for children in Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd grades. Each lesson includes a biography report, history notebook page, history song, our favorite children’s books, YouTube video, a history joke, & a variety of hands-on activities to make each lesson engaging & memorable. Use these fun lessons with your classroom, homeschool, after-school program, or co-op!

Student Biography Presentation: George Washington

Student biography presentation on George Washington

Student biography presentation on George Washington

Review & Introduction to President Washington

Review: What is the document that tells the rules for how America’s government will run? (Constitution) What do we call the first part of the Constitution? (Preamble) Let’s sing the Preamble again. [Sing it twice while flipping through the book that includes pictures.] How many branches are there in our government? (3) Can you name 1? (legislative, executive, judicial) What does the legislative branch do? (makes laws) What does the executive branch do? (executes/enforces/carries out the laws) What does the judicial branch do? (judges the laws)

You will need:

We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow or We the People: The Constitution of the United States by Peter Spier (which also has words to illustrate the text of the Preamble — though the pictures are smaller) OR a monitor or projector to show the SchoolHouse Rock video

Who is the head of the executive branch? (President) Does anyone know who our first President was? (George Washington). Read the end portion of George Washington by Cheryl Harness. (I also really like A New Nation: The United States: 1783-1815 by Betsy Maestro, though the text might be too long for younger children.)

You will need:

George Washington by Cheryl Harness or other book on George Washington as President

Gilbert Stuart’s portrait

Studying Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington

Show the children a copy of Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington. Ask the children these questions from Picturing America:

Describe Washington’s face & clothing.

Do you think he was old or young when this painting was made? (He was in his 60s.)

Point to the rainbow, the books, & the saber/sword. Why do you think those are in the painting? (rainbow=hope for our country, books are about our government, saber = he led the Continental Army)

Does he look like a king? Why or why not?

You will need:

a copy of Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington (from a book or online)

Dancing the Minuet

George Washington loved to go to parties to dance. He was wonderful at dancing a particular dance called the Minuet. We’re going to attempt dancing a simplified minuet. [Play some minuet music.]

Girls stand in 1 line & boys stand in another line. (I stood in front of both lines, modeled, & called the directions.)

Point your left foot & bend your knee

Step with your right foot

Step together (point with your left foot & bend your knee)

Step left

Step right

Step left

Together

Repeat 1 more time

You will need:

minuet music & a fun sense of humor

Basic idea of the simplified version of the minuet

George Washington Wheel

George Washington Wheels

George Washington Wheel from http://www.homeschoolshare .com/president.php

Create George Washington Wheels:

Where will I find Washington’s name or picture? (Have children guess their answers before you show them the little pictures they’ll be pasting on their wheels.)

Allow children to cut these out themselves unless they need assistance.

After they’ve added the brad to the middle, they can paste the wheel to the blank sheet of paper so they can place it in their history binders.

If children finish early, they can color the pictures.

If desired, show the children pictures of each of the items and places.

You will need per child:

a sheet of blank paper punched with 3 hole punch

2 Lapbook Wheel Pages printed free from homeschoolshare.com

brad

Student supplies: scissors, glue sticks, & crayons

(Optional) Pictures of each of the above items & places from online pictures

Cherries & Review

Washington’s Cherry Tree Snack

People loved George Washington & said wonderful things about him. Something they said a lot was how honest he was. They liked to tell a story about when he was a child, he chopped down his dad’s cherry tree. He was so honest that he walked up to his dad & said, “Father, I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down your tree.” This probably didn’t really ever happen, but people sure did love that story! Whenever you see cherries, you can think about how honest our first President was. Pass out a snack of cherries.

You will need:

bing cherries or other cherries – fresh if they’re in season or frozen if they’re not (be careful with the pits)

napkins

Even though lots of people remember George Washington as being honest, he wanted to be remembered for loving Jesus. On his tomb he had inscribed John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

Review: Who was our first president? (George Washington) What is something you learned about him today?

Assign next week’s student biography on Sacagawea

A Book to Read Each Day

Plus 2 Audio Books

Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas - Book images are from amazon .com. Martha Washington (On My Own Biography) by Candice Ransom George Washington's Breakfast by Jean Fritz The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom by Emily Arnold McCully - This image is from goodreads .com. George Washington: Leading a New Nation (Graphic Biographies) by Matt Doeden President George Washington by David A. Adler George Washington: Our First President by Cornelius Van Great Stories: George Washington, Henry Ford, Honey Creek Heroine Plus 7 More Adventures (Your Story Hour, Vol. 2) Audio CD Rush Revere and the Presidency by Rush Limbaugh (We love the audio version!)