The U.S. presidents are an important part of history. But sometimes remembering who was the first and who was the 37th can be difficult. Finding and using a list of U.S. presidents can come in handy in your classroom. Not only will it help for memorization but your student(s) can use it as a great jumping off point for creating some biography projects and activities.
List of Former and Current U.S. Presidents
- George Washington 1789-1797
- John Adams 1797-1801
- Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809
Thomas Jefferson - James Madison 1809-1817
- James Monroe 1817-1825
- John Quincy Adams 1825-1829
- Andrew Jackson 1829-1837
- Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
- William Henry Harrison 1841-1841 (died in office)
- John Tyler 1841-1845
- James K. Polk 1845-1849
- Zachary Taylor 1849-1850
- Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
- Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
- James Buchanan 1857-1861
- Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865
Abraham Lincoln - Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
- Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877
- Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881
- James A. Garfield 1881-(Died in Office)
- Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885
- Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
- Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
- Grover Cleveland 1893-1897
- William McKinley 1897-1901
- Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
Theodore Roosevelt - William Howard Taft 1909-1913
- Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921
- Warren G. Harding 1921-1923
- Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
- Herbert Hoover 1929-1933
- Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945
- Harry S. Truman 1945-1953
- Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961
- John F. Kennedy 1961-1963
John F. Kennedy - Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969
- Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974
- Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
- Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
- Ronald Reagan 1981-1989
- George Bush 1989-1993
- Bill Clinton 1993-2001
- George W. Bush 2001-2009
- Barack Obama 2009-2017
Barack Obama - Donald Trump 2017-2021
- Joe Biden 2021-
Printable US President List
A printable may be more useful for students. Printables can come in handy for games and activities that you might be doing that include the presidents. If you need help downloading the printable list, check out these helpful tips.
Using the List in Your Classroom
Having a list of the presidents in chronological order is great, especially if you are working with your students on memorizing them. However, memorization isn't always everyone's strong suit. Using the list to create games and activities will make studying the presidents much more fun. Try out some of these fun ideas in your homeschool classroom.
President of the Week
Using the list, create a president of the week feature. Starting from George Washington, you'll feature one president each week. Not only will you talk about something he's famous for besides being president but fashions, family, vice president, etc. This will help your student(s) to more fully understand and appreciate the presidents.
Presidential Poster
On a poster board, your student(s) will create a poster featuring all 45 presidents. In addition to adding their image in chronological order, they will add a fun quote and one fun fact.
Fantastic First Lady
Using the list as a jumping off point, have students create a slideshow, skit or video about each first lady. Starting with Martha Washington, students will create a fun and engaging skit about inspirational or important things that each president's wives did during their career.
Singing Sensation
Allow your student(s) to select a musical genre like rap, classical, hip-hop, etc. and create a song about the presidents in chronological order. Not only will the student(s) state the presidents name and what president he was but give a fact too. Once their song is completed, they can present it. Not only will this be a great memorization tool but fun as well.
Prestige of the Presidents
The U.S. presidents unit can be kind of boring for students. However, jazz it up by giving them a chronological list of the presidents and letting them get creative. Not only can creating projects be a great memory tool but it's a lot of fun. The printable can also be laminated and thrown in their folder so they always have it on hand.
