It’s time to add some new kid-friendly 4^th of July activities to your usual cookout and fireworks celebration! Here are a dozen fun 4^th of July crafts and activities to infuse your holiday with some creativity and wonder for your toddler, preschooler, and big kid, too!

Shaving Cream Firework 4^th of July Craft

Image & activity from I Can Teach My Child

Awesome fireworks without any scary boom-booms? Yes! Simply fill a rimmed cookie sheet with shaving cream and, using a squeegee or a piece of cardboard, smooth the cream so it’s level. Next, drop red and blue food coloring into circles all over the shaving cream. For some, place another drop of the opposite color in the center of your design for a two-tone firecracker.

Place a toothpick in the center of one of the circles and gently draw a line outward to create a firework. When your kiddo is satisfied with their firework display, lay a piece of paper on the shaving cream, and gently pat it. After setting for a minute, carefully peel the paper off and, with a cleaned squeegee, scrape excess cream from the paper to reveal a super-fun fireworks 4^th of July craft!

4^th of July Bike and Trike Decorations

Image & activity Fun 365

Whether your town has an annual 4th of July kids bike parade or not, invite the kiddos to deck out their wheels for a festive spin around the block! Stock your bike, trike, and scooter decorating station with red, white, and blue streamers, pipe cleaners, star cutouts, mini flags, patriotic pinwheels, mini pompoms, and more. Don’t forget to have the kids bling out their helmets, too!

4^th of July Scavenger Hunt Activity

 

Image & activity Play Party Plan

Scavenger hunts are a super-fun 4^th of July activity to keep kids of all ages entertained at any Independence Day fête. You can DIY your own scavenger hunt cards or download the one pictured from Play Party Plan. While it’s A-okay to give each big kid their own card to fill out, when toddlers are involved, it’s a better idea to create scavenger hunt teams that include at least one grownup. Every team gets a pen and should be instructed to try to find all the items on the list. But let your tot be creative! For example, you don’t have to see a real life explodes-in-the-sky firework to check the item of the list. If a guest’s shirt features a firecracker or if it’s on a decoration, that counts, too! Every time an item is discovered, check it off. Once all items have been found, bring the filled car back to the host who just may dole out some fun rewards!

Chalk Art 4^th of July Activity

Image & activity from Inspired Motherhood

Who says chalk is just for kids? Grab a box to create a few 4th of July scenes, like Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, fireworks, or the American flag, on the sidewalk or driveway so that all the kiddos can take turns laying down and taking festive photos. You can, of course, hand the chalk over to the littles to make their own scenes—or to help you color in the scenes you outline.

Yummy Treat 4^th of July Activity for Kids

 

Image & activity Natural Beach Living

Chocolate covered strawberries are almost as fun to make as they are to eat! Grab a pint of delicious berries, blue and/or white melting chocolates, and a smattering of festive decorations, like patriotic sprinkles, confetti, and edible glitter. Your tyke can help rinse—then gently dry—the berries as you get to melting the chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl, zap either white or blue melting discs for 30 second intervals until fully melted and creamy. Next, dip each strawberry in the chocolate about halfway up and hand off to your tot. They’ll then dip the berry into their decoration of choice and place the fruit on a parchment-lined cookie sheet to dry for up to 10 minutes. (If you are feeling extra ambitious, you can dip your berry in a second color after it has dried—and then add sprinkles.) The last and best step? Eat them up!

Star-Spangled Wreath 4^th of July Craft

Image & activity Crafts By Ria

Bring the festivities to your front door with this easy-to-make Fourth of July wreath. Before you invite your tot to craft, cut and remove the inner circle of a paper plate, so that only the rim remains. (Staple a ribbon loop to the plate so that you can easily hang the finished decoration.) Next, pre-cut various size stars from red, white, and blue cardstock, glitter paper, or even some aluminum foil. If your child is old enough, hand over the child-safe scissors for this task! Alternatively, you can pick up pre-cut stars at your local craft store. Next, get the glue stick so your bub can secure the stars on the plate until they wind up with a charming star-spangled 4^th of July craft!

4^th of July Star Craft for Kids

 
Image & activity Projects With Kids

If you’re clipping out stars (or buying them from the craft store) for the Star-Spangled Wreath above, consider this 4^th of July craft, too! Loop a piece of painter’s tape on the back of a few stars and stick them to a sheet of black construction paper. Next, hand your kiddo red, white, and blue chalk pastels, instructing them to draw thick lines around the edges of the stars. (Alternate colors, do one color per star, or whatever they want!) Then it’s smudge time! Depending on your tyke’s relationship to mess, they can either use their fingers or a cotton ball to smudge the pastels from the star template, outward. Once satisfied, slowly lift the template and—voila!—amazing patriotic art!

Festive Spoon 4^th of July Craft for Kids

 
Image & activity Better Homes & Gardens

Instead of laying out ho-hum disposable forks, knives, and spoons for your BBQ guests, pick up some eco-friendly wooden utensils that your brood can decorate! For instance, you can use a red and blue ink pad and some letter stamps, teeny star stamps, firework stamps to pepper your spoons and such with all sorts of Fourth of July designs!

Flag Hunt 4^th of July Activity 

 
Image & activity No Time For Flash Cards  

Move over Easter eggs: It’s time for a new backyard hunt! This Fourth of July, host an American flag hunt in your backyard. Have the mini stars and stripes peek out from bushes, lurk in flowerpots, adorn the swing set—put them anywhere you tots can find them. Once all are located and returned, you can task another to hide them again!

Flag Mosaic 4^th of July Craft

 
Image & activity What Can We Do With Paper and Glue

While this paper mosaic project takes a little planning, it’s well worth it! The first step: Dig out old magazines, fliers, junk mail, scrap paper, and more and play a little I Spy with red, white, and blue. Cut or tear anything you see that features those colors into half-dollar size pieces (give or take) and make separate piles for each color. Once you feel you’ve got a lot, draw a flag on a large piece of white paper, outlining everything in easy-to-see black marker. (No need to draw in the stars.) Next, draw squiggly red and blue lines in the appropriate areas of the flag, so your child knows what color to put where. Tape the flag outline to the wall, hand over glue sticks, and get started sticking the colorful scraps of paper to the flag. When done, glue pre-cut stars in the right spot and admire your museum-worthy display!

Red, White & Blue Flower 4^th of July Activity

 
Image & activity Artful Parent

An art project, a science experiment, a fun Fourth of July activity, and a festive centerpiece all in one! Pick up some white daisies or chrysanthemums at the grocery store, plus red and blue food coloring (or liquid watercolor paint). Next, pour an inch or two of water into two Mason jars, followed by a generous red coloring to one jar and blue to the other. (Repeat with as many jars as needed to accommodate the number of blooms you’re looking to dye.) As your kiddo looks on, use a knife to slice the flower stem in half lengthwise, leaving an inch or two of solid stem between the cut and the flower head. Then place the flower over two cups, with one half of the stem in the red cup and the other half in the blue cup, making sure the stem ends are fully submerged. Then step back and wait. Your flowers will begin to change color within the hour! The longer your flower remains, the more color it absorbs, and you’ll have a perfectly patriotic bouquet!

Safe & Silly Sparkler 4^th of July Activity

 
Image & activity Primrose Schools

Just because your tot isn’t old enough for sparklers, doesn’t mean they're too young for the fun! Enter: Paper sparklers! Gather patterned red, white, and blue straws and construction or metallic paper. Go ahead and cut thin strips down the long side of the paper, leaving about two inches uncut at the bottom of each sheet. Then, have your tyke wrap the uncut edge of the paper tightly around the top of a straw. Secure with tape and there you have it: Safe and silly sparkler fun! (Check out Primrose Schools for a quick video tutorial.)

More Kid-Friendly Crafts to Explore:

• How to Craft With Kids When You’re Not Crafty!
• 20 Art Projects for Your Toddler or Preschooler
• 29 Easy Summer Activities & Crafts
• Creative Ways to Reuse Cardboard Rolls With Kids

View more posts tagged, education & learning

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