America’s 250th Birthday Activities for Kids
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This America’s 250th birthday activities history guide is perfect for kids to get a great overview of USA’s history this summer!
I’ve included the entire book list for free on this page, so if you’re here for the book titles, keep reading and you’ll find that further down. If you want a 2 week crash course of American history to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, you need the America’s 250th Activity Guide available here! I am still so impressed how much we covered and how well my kids are retaining the information, especially considering we only spent around 20-30 mins a day doing this!
The America’s 250th Printable Lesson Pack Includes:
- Printable Reading Challenge Checklist
- Printable History Timeline
- Printable History Coloring Minis for Timeline
- Mini Guide of Hands-On Activities for Each Book
- Printable Map with Labels to Cut & Glue
As promised, the book list is below:
Free America’s 250th Picture Book Reading List
What I love about this list is that it’s super manageable and there’s no deadline – anytime around July 4, 2026 is a great time to start! Some days we read a couple books in a day, some days we read half of a book and finished the other half another day – we had pools to play in and trampolines to jump on – it is summer after all!
I checked out a bunch of books from my library, and had a long list of beloved American history favorites already on my shelf. Only 9 made it onto my list for us this summer!
I wanted to cover Early Colonial America – WW2 era with the kids – without exclusively focusing on wars as the major historical markers. The books needed to be living books that told stories kids find enchanting – and this collection doesn’t disappoint! Some are folk tales, some cover challenging subjects, some are insanely inspiring, some leave us with questions, some make us chuckle, but they’re all beautifully done and cultivate a spirit of hope and persistence!
Here’s the list, in approximate chronological order (some events might overlap). We read them randomly and used the timeline from the printable pack to keep track of the order of events!
Colonial America:
Jamestown: New World Adventure by James E Knight
Grandfather was a Jamestown settler, and mother is reading us his journal! Kids reading this story feel like they are picked up and dropped off right into the middle of the Jamestown colony! It is a bit longer so we broke this one up into two readings.
The Big Year – 1776:
The 4th of July Story by Alice Dagliesh
“Liberty throughout the land. Liberty to all the people!” This celebration of America’s Declaration of Independence shows kids how news traveled much more slowly back in 1776 – no internet or phones – just people and their horses!
The Constitution:
The text of this book is the preamble to the Constitution – only a few words are on most pages, but lots and lots of pictures to help kids understand exactly what a phrase like “the common welfare” might mean!
Late 1700s-Early 1800s:
My kids laugh out loud at this folk tale celebrating the famed keelboatman, Mike Fink! After we visited the Mississippi River a couple of years ago, I couldn’t dream of not including a book featuring it on the list. The Mighty Mississippi has a culture and history worth celebrating!
War of 1812/ American Flag:
Our Flag Was Still There by Jessie Hartland
This is a fun introduction to the story behind the Star Spangled Banner. Instead of focusing solely on Francis Scott Key, Our Flag Was Still There tells the story of Major George Armistead and Mary Pickersgill! It connects a few key players, locations, and dates into a memorable piece of American History.
Pre Civil War/Civil War Era:
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
This book touches on many beautiful themes, but I wanted to cover both the Underground Railroad and also the American tradition of quilting at some point in my list – this lovely story touches on both!
Westward Expansion:
A Little Prairie House by: Laura Ingalls Wilder
(Please note this is a picture book, not one of the full length chapter books)
Imagine driving, driving, driving and then just stopping one day and saying “this is our home now!” It’s crazy to me, but what actually happened to many Americans who moved west. This picture book adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family settling in Kansas is a perfect introduction to Westward Expansion. We actually have a Little House Treasury which includes this story and several others!
Early 1900s/US Postal Service:
Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell
Everyone loves getting mail addressed to them! But have you ever had a person delivered to your house?! This fun, TRUE story tells the adventure of one little girl delivered by the US Postal Service to her grandmother – it’s as fun as it sounds!
WW2:
The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter
There are some heavier elements of this story, but it is rich. Through a sweet grandfather/grandson relationship, this story covers a bit of WWII, primarily focusing on a crucial part of the war effort, the Navajo Code Talkers.
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