Are you stumped about how to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids? Trust me, you can still have a really fun day!
The 4th of July can be tough with little kids. I mean, fireworks aren’t exactly toddler friendly and most of the fun happens after bedtime. But, despite these truths, you can still have a great 4th of July with little kids. You just need to know how best to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids. With just a few tweaks to your typical celebration, you can absolutely make it little kid-friendly!
Before I get into how to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids, I want to remind you that it’s OK if you’re struggling with the current state of the U.S.A. She hasn’t been perfect over her 250 years of existence, but she’s still worth celebrating. She’s pretty radical!
How to Celebrate the 4th of July with Little Kids
Parade
We have been going to a neighboring community’s 4th of July parade since my daughter was just a teeny tiny potato. Well, my husband and son have. I stayed home with her that first year. Ever since we gave the parade a try, we’ve been convinced that it’s a great way to kick off the 4th of July.
The kids love to get dressed in their red, white, and blue, wave flags, and run around grabbing as much candy as they can with their grubby little hands. If you have a 4th of July parade near you, I highly suggest giving it a try with your little kids. Honestly, the parade can be the only way you celebrate the 4th of July with little kids and they’d be happy as clams.
Patriotic craft or snack
Craft
As we all know, I am not a crafty mom. But some occasions just call for fun crafts, and the 4th of July is one of them. Doing a patriotic craft is a great way to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids because it gives them something concrete to do that keeps them engaged while immersing them in the patriotic spirit.
Because I’m not crafty, I look for super easy, low-prep and low-stress crafts to do with my kids on the 4th of July.
4th of July windsock
All you need is a few toilet paper rolls, some red and white streamers, a blue marker, and white star stickers, and you can whip this baby up in no time.
Popsicle stick flag
Another super easy patriotic craft is a simple popsicle stick flag. You just need 13 popsicle sticks, paint (or nail polish!), and glue to pull this one off.
Snack
I am way more qualified to talk about patriotic snacks than crafts. I love to get in the kitchen with my kids, so we almost always make some sort of patriotic treat on the 4th of July.
Flag cake
My go-to patriotic snack to make to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids is a flag cake. They like to make the cake, the frosting, and arrange the berries in a flag pattern on top – it’s a great choice if you want to bake with kids on the 4th of July!
Fruit salad
If you’d rather keep your kids’ patriotic 4th of July snack a little healthier, consider a red, white, and blue fruit salad. Nonna is always in charge of the fruit salad in our family, and she uses strawberries and watermelon for the red, white peaches for the white, and blueberries for the blue. It’s always a hit!
Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a great way to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids during the daylight hours. Think up a list of patriotic things your kids might see on the 4th of July and then help them keep an eye out as you go about your day. Some items you may want to include on your scavenger hunt include:
- American flag
- The number 4
- Something red
- Something white
- Something blue
- Stars
- Stripes
- Hotdog
- & more!
Cookout
If you want to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids by throwing a cookout, you’re in luck! I have a whole post dedicated to hosting a kid-friendly 4th of July BBQ. Briefly, you need food, fun, and fireworks (or fireworks alternatives – we’ll talk about those next) to have an awesome cookout that makes the kids feel like they’re included in the celebration. I’m a fan of a midday shindig when you have little kids involved. Take advantage of the daytime hours to minimize the interruption you cause to their schedules.
Fireworks alternatives
OK, I promised to talk about fireworks alternatives, so here we go. I’ve always felt uncomfortable around fireworks. Not the big boom in the sky kind, those are fun. I’m talking about the ones you buy from a tent in a Walmart parking lot that your drunk uncle then thinks he can skillfully shoot off (spoiler alert: he can’t!). My discomfort reaches peak freak out level when kids are involved, though. So, when I’m in charge of the special fun on the 4th of July, I’m choosing fireworks alternatives every time.
Now, what can you substitute for fireworks on the 4th of July? I’m so glad you asked! Here are my two favorite fireworks alternatives.
Glow sticks
Head on over to the Dollar Tree and pick up a couple of packs of glow sticks for the kids. Crack them and let them go to town waving them around. If they go to bed before darkness falls, pile them into the basement with their glow sticks and turn off the lights. They’ll have a blast!
Bubbles
Bubbles can be just as exciting as fireworks when you celebrate the 4th of July with little kids. Seriously, have you ever met a kid (or an adult) who didn’t squeal with delight around bubbles?
Bedtime fireworks
If you still want your kids to experience fireworks on the 4th of July, but you don’t want to keep them up past their bedtimes, all you need is a YouTube video of last year’s fireworks. Dim the lights, fire up last year’s fireworks on the iPad, and let the kids ooh and aah at 7:00 pm.
This is a top tip for any big celebratory night. We always watch the London fireworks on New Year’s Eve!
Nap
If you do want to keep your kids up to watch your local fireworks display on the 4th of July, I highly recommend that you sneak in a nap during the day. The 4th of July is a fun day, for sure, but it can also be overwhelming for little kids. This is especially true if you’re keeping them up way past their bedtime to watch incendiary devices explode in the sky. I pass zero judgment on anyone who wants to experience 4th of July fireworks with their kids. Keep them up, make the memory! Just don’t expect little kids to be able to power through an action-packed day without a nap.
Other posts
Looking for more ways to celebrate the 4th of July with little kids?
Tips for a Safe Fourth of July
The Best Memorial Day Desserts (these work just as well for the 4th of July!)
Kid-Friendly 4th of July BBQ Ideas
I hope I’ve convinced you that you can have a great time when you celebrate the 4th of July with little kids! What’s your 4th of July plan this year? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.