In 2024, the United States elected its 47th president. That’s a lot of history to work with! Students might not need to memorize every single U.S. president, but knowing who the presidents were and having a reference tool to use to study these important people in American history can be a gateway into learning more about government, U.S. history, and more. Use our U.S. Presidents Chart as a student handout or print it poster-size and hang it in your classroom to help students get to know each president.
Why teach the U.S. presidents?
The president of the United States is the highest office in the land and the most powerful person in the country and the world. A U.S. president shapes what’s happening in the world and changes what’s happening here at home. The presidency is a unique office—it’s not like a king or an emperor, and it’s made the U.S. government what it is today—so it’s important for students to understand the role of the president and the personalities that have shaped it over the years.
U.S. President Fun Facts
Just to get students thinking about the U.S. presidents, here are some fun facts about the presidents in general:
- The most common first name for a U.S. president is James. Six presidents have been named James.
- The most common state that a president is from is Virginia. Eight presidents were from Virginia.
- The youngest presidents were Theodore Roosevelt (42) and John F. Kennedy (43).
- The oldest presidents (when elected) have been Donald Trump (78) and Joe Biden (78).
- The president who served the shortest term was William Henry Harrison, who was president for 31 days.
- The president who served the longest term was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served 12 years.
- Many historians agree that Abraham Lincoln and George Washington have been the “best” presidents.
How to use the U.S. Presidents Chart
You can print the U.S. Presidents Chart poster-size as a reference and hang it on the wall, but that’s just the beginning. Use the letter-size printable U.S. Presidents Chart in these fun activities, which are great for social studies, Presidents’ Day, election years, and more.
Engage in a mock debate
If there’s one thing that presidents have to do, it’s debate. Divide students into pairs. Each student chooses a president. (Make sure no two students have the same president.) Then, students engage in a mock debate. Have students craft statements specific to their president:
- What were the main issues of their time?
- What did each person stand for?
- What was important to them?
- What was their party’s platform?
Then, have students present what they learned, one pair at a time, and the class can vote for the “president” they would choose.
Assign a presidential biography
Assign presidents and have students complete a biography of that president. Some ideas for a presidential biography:
- Write and deliver a speech as if you were this president.
- Create a campaign poster.
- Create a social media account and five posts for this president.
- Create a timeline of this president’s life. How does their timeline overlap with the lives of other presidents? Which presidents were kids when this president was in office?
Create a presidential timeline
Use note cards and research to create a timeline of the United States. Put each president’s term on the timeline. Then, analyze your timeline to find out:
- Who was president during each major war?
- Who was president during major events, like emancipation, the Civil Rights era, 9/11?
- Who was president when your town or city was founded?
- Who was president when your teacher was born?
Make a presidential picture book
Assign each student a president and have them create a picture book about their president. Then, partner with a younger grade and read picture books to the younger students. Leave students’ books in your classroom library so you have a set of presidential picture book biographies.
Plus, check out Presidential Books for the Classroom.
Why does each president matter?
For this activity, have each student choose a lesser-known president (e.g., not Lincoln or Washington) and research what that president accomplished. How would the United States be different if they were not president? How would the world be different if they had not been president? Students present what they learn using presentation slides.
Play a presidential trivia game
Use the U.S. Presidents Chart to find a fun fact about each president. Then, create a presidential trivia game that you can play all year.
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Get Your Free Printable U.S. Presidents Chart
Get your free printable U.S. Presidents Chart by filling out the form on this page.
