Patriotic Games to Play
Try these unique 4th of July games to have a blast with your family this holiday.
- Set up a Patriotic Scavenger Hunt like the one suggested by Better Homes & Gardens. All you need is a backyard and a few festive items such as red objects, white objects, blue objects, nickels with Thomas Jefferson, quarters with George Washington, and plastic flag rings. Hide the objects around the yard and tell kids what they’re looking for. What a great way to celebrate and have fun!
- Play a few rounds of Red, White, and Blue Baseball, inspired by an idea in Real Simple. As mentioned, using red, white, and blue balloons will keep the 4th of July theme alive in your game. Select teams and fill your balloons up with water. Set up two bases, one for “home” and one to the side that is just for running to. Place a bucket of balloons in the “outfield” where a pitcher and his teammates can grab and throw from. Send one team to the outfield and one team to home base. The pitcher will toss a balloon as a player on the opposing team hits it with a wiffleball bat. The balloon will burst, and the player must run to the other base and back home as players on the opposing team try to hit them with a balloon. If they make it back home, without being hit, they score!
- Enjoy more refreshing water balloon fun with a Revolutionary War Water Balloon Game from Love to Know. In this manhunt-style game, two teams will be on opposing sides of the Revolutionary War. Each team’s objective will be to get their entire team to the other team's base. The catch? Water balloons are your weapons. If someone gets hit with a water balloon, they are brought onto the other team’s side. When every member of a team makes it to the other team’s base, they win.
Celebratory Crafts to Make
Get crafty and creative as you celebrate the 4th of July with these festive masterpieces.
- A DIY Sparkler Craft from Happiest Baby gives little ones the fun of sparklers without the risk. Find some red, white, or blue straws and construction paper to make your own! Turn the paper horizontally and cut thin strips down the paper all along the long edge. You’ll want to leave about two inches at the bottom uncut. Take the uncut part and wrap it around the tip of your straw. Tape this closed, and you’re ready to go! Let little ones blow into the bottom of the straw to make the sparkler dance like fireworks.
- Of course, we need a little more firework fun for kids! These Fireworks Postcards from Love to Know are a perfect mix of science and art. Let kids draw fireworks with white oil pastels on a white piece of paper. These won’t show up at first. Now, let kids paint over their paper with dark red or blue watercolor paint. Because oil and water don’t mix, the fireworks will now appear as if bursting off the page!
- Sidewalk chalk is a fun addition to any celebration with kids, but these 4th of July Chalk Art ideas from Happiest Baby are super cool! Using sidewalk chalk, help children create a America-inpsired interactive scenes, such as the Statue of Liberty crown and torch, fireworks, or a waving American flag in a parade. The scenes should allow kids to insert themselves in while laying on the ground. Then let the festive and fun photoshoots begin!
Engaging History to Explore
Dive into kid-friendly exploration of the events that led to this significant day in history.
- Share more background about what led to this day and its importance with little ones in a way they can understand. Nat Geo Kids does a great job of breaking down the anger the colonists were feeling, the fight for freedom, and the writing of the Declaration in this quick article you can read together.
- Give kids a more in-depth look at the Declaration of Independence. An awesome explanation is given in this video that you can watch as a family. Once kid’ interest is peaked, you can play this reading of the Declaration of Independence or read the document together here.
- Want a super fun way to explore history together? Who doesn’t love a challenge! Take our 10-question American History quiz that offers unique and interesting insight into 4th of July history!
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