Show preschoolers pictures of some of the famous presidents, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. For each picture, discuss some of the characterizing features setting that president apart from the others. Cycle through the pictures so the kids get a chance to become familiar with the presidents' faces. For the art project, give each student a sheet of paper that has one president's face on it, a pencil and tracing paper. Have the preschoolers use the pencils to trace over the picture of the president. Then, allow them to color in the picture with crayons.
Start out by teaching children about President George Washington and his cherry tree. Then, tell the class that they are going to make a cherry tree just like President Washington's. Roll up students' sleeves to their elbows because the art project involves paint. On a large piece of construction paper, use brown paint to create a tree trunk. Next, apply the brown paint to the students' forearms and green paint to the hands. One by one, have each student come up to the tree trunk and press against it to create a brown branch with green leaves. Students can then take red paint and make the cherries to complete the cherry tree.
Tell preschoolers the story about Abraham Lincoln and his log cabin. Make sure to show the kids pictures of the log cabin so they have a visual. Then, take the class outside to collect as many twigs as they can find. They will bring the twigs back to class with them and glue the twigs onto a traced image of a log cabin. After the glue dries, students can decorate the rest of the cabin by adding a chimney or coloring in grass.
An American flag puzzle activity is perfect for celebrating Presidents Day in class. Begin by teaching preschoolers about the American flag, reviewing the number of stars and stripes. Have students draw an American flag using paper and crayons. Then, help each student cut his or her drawing into puzzle shapes. Mix up the puzzle pieces and have the child put the flag back together.