Your little ones are probably already big fans of 4th of July celebrations, and what a perfect time to weave a sense of history and a little fun into your curriculum!! But don’t spend your precious summer searching for patriotic-themed activities. We’ve rounded up some enjoyable and affordable outdoor activities, fun games, and unique crafts that are perfect for Independence Day. So get things going with our list of 42 4th of July Activities that are sure to delight your preschoolers!
1. Fireworks Painting
This fun and colorful painting idea for kids is the perfect way to showcase their own display of fireworks! They’ll love dipping scrubbing brushes in paint to make bursting firework patterns, and you’ll love the simple materials and quick setup!
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2. Patriotic Necklaces
Pasta necklaces are a classic craft that your little ones are sure to enjoy! Just dye dry pasta in different shapes with food coloring and let their little hands string these together to create some festive jewelry for the 4th while practicing their fine motor skills.
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3. Patriotic Windsock
This unique patriotic craft idea will have your preschoolers jumping with joy as they watch their creations dance in the breeze. With only some toilet paper rolls and streamers, they’ll make a colorful windsock and use it to watch the wind blow during their patriotic celebration.
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4. Pop-Up Fireworks
Fireworks are the best part of Independence Day and with this simple craft, your children will create their own pop-up display! Just have them add bright stars to the outside of a cone, help them tie ribbons to the inside, and then have them ‘pop’ their fireworks at once for an exciting event.
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5. Star Wreath
This creative idea extends the popular winter wreath craft to our favorite summer holiday! Help your kiddos cut out a circle from a paper plate and then let them go to it by adding some stars and ribbons decorations. This is the perfect addition to any patriotic celebration!
Learn More: The Resourceful Mama
6. 4th Of July Slime
Slime is always a hit and this festive activity has the added bonus of getting your little ones counting! Just add some colored beads to the slime and they’ll love telling you how many of each bead is in their bowl of slime. Practicing math with slimy hands is sure to be a winner!
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7. Popsicle Stick Flags
Let your students create an American flag by decorating this iconic symbol with popsicle sticks that you probably already have on hand. This patriotic craft is easy, affordable, and a fun way to teach them about our country’s history and independence!
Learn More: Kids Activities Blog
8. Sensory Bottle
This alternative to a traditional flag craft is perfect for your children who might need a sensory activity when excitement runs high. You just need some syrup, lamp oil, vegetable oil, and food coloring to make a cool liquid flag that will also provide a necessary sense of calm!
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9. Toilet Paper Roll Stamp
There’s no end to the magical possibilities of everyday products with this activity! Your preschoolers will love using toilet paper rolls to create firework designs. You’ll start by cutting the edges of toilet paper rolls and then having them dip these into different red, white, and blue paint to create patriotic designs.
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10. Flag Darts
Take your summer fun outside with this giant game of darts! Start this one by blowing up some red, white, and blue balloons and filling them with flour. Then attach the balloons to a colorful background and let your little ones take turns popping the balloons with a kid-friendly dart!
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11. Marshmallow Shooters
Your kiddos will have a blast playing with food for this next activity! They’ll decorate toilet paper rolls with red and white stripes, tie half of a blue balloon to the end, and then load up the shooters with a few marshmallows. Watch the excitement begin as they launch their little rockets!
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12. 4th Of July Backyard Bowling
Another great outdoor activity is this 4th of July game that gives your young learners an opportunity to work on their gross motor skills. Have your kids ‘bowl’ by kicking a soccer ball at colorful flag-themed pins, and add on a little math practice by letting them keep score!
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13. Patriotic Skittle Experiment
Take advantage of holiday-themed candy for some 4th of July edible science fun. You’ll just arrange Skittles in a pattern and then let your preschoolers observe what happens when you start adding warm and cold water. Just because it’s a holiday, doesn’t mean they can’t learn something too!
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14. Stars And Stripes Sensory Bin
A sensory bin is a fun way for kids to practice their fine motor skills and learn about textures and shapes. This DIY sensory table requires dry pasta and food coloring, but you could add challenging chopsticks for your little ones to move the pasta pieces into the pattern of the American flag!
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15. Fun Fireworks Ring
Pipe cleaners are the perfect craft supply for a July 4th party and your children will get a kick out of twisting them into spirals and knotting them together to create these funky accessories. They’ll love showing off their handmade jewelry when the fireworks go off!
Learn More: Mom Dot
16. Spin Painted Noisemaker
This 4th of July craft is loud, colorful, and a bit messy – just right for younger students! Give them a paper plate topped with a dollop of paint and help them place this in a salad spinner. They’ll give the spinner a whirl and create a masterpiece with just a few turns!
Learn More: No Time For Flashcards
17. Footprint Flags
Little feet are perfect for making flag prints, but your ticklish kiddos might find this one challenging! Help them paint a flag on the sole of their foot to print onto some white paper, and then display this American artwork as party decorations at your 4th of July celebration.
Learn More: Crafty Morning
18. Popsicle Stick Uncle Sam
The personification of America as Uncle Sam goes back hundreds of years and the 4th of July is the perfect time to have some fun with an Uncle Sam craft. Your preschoolers will delight in gluing popsicle sticks together and adding fun decorations to make these adorable figures!
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19. Cupcake Liner Fireworks
This activity is great for your children who are learning to use scissors. They’ll give their motor skills a workout by cutting along the indentations of cupcake liners and then pasting the liners into bursting fireworks patterns for some fun and unique decorations!
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20. Uncle Sam Paperbag Puppet
Another patriotic activity that pays homage to Uncle Sam is this simple, yet creative craft. With only a paper bag and some colored paper, your kids will create a cute puppet that they can use to tell you about the meaning of freedom or their favorite part of Independence Day!
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21. Make A Flag Snack
Sink your teeth into a kid-friendly patriotic snack with this graham cracker and fruit treat. Your little ones will love creating edible flags by spreading frosting on a graham cracker and topping it off with blueberries and strawberries for stars and stripes!
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22. Patriotic Wand
This 4th of July activity will add some magic to the little hands of your young learners. All you need is a wooden dowel, a screw eye, and plenty of red, white, and blue ribbon to make this cool wand. They’ll love mimicking a fireworks display or simply waving these around for a fun celebration!
Learn More: Buggy And Buddy
23. Paper Chain Flag
Paper chain crafts are a staple of preschool classrooms, so why not create one in the spirit of the 4th of July? This unique take on flag-making uses only colored construction paper and a stapler, but it creates a festive decoration and is a great team-building activity for your students.
Learn More: She Knows
24. Patriotic Tin Can Toss
The best Fourth of July activities let your little learners make the most of the height of summer and this one is sure to be a hit! They’ll decorate tin cans and use these to set up a classic toss game for a healthy dose of competition that also strengthens their hand-eye coordination!
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25. Patriotic Bingo
This old-fashioned, yet foolproof game is the perfect addition to a 4th of July celebration. Just download the printable activity, grab some tokens, and let the good times roll as your preschoolers eagerly await a BINGO win. Add some extra fun by having some patriotic stickers on hand for prizes!
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26. Duct Tape Bags
You’d never know these cool bags were made of duct tape! This easy and affordable craft only requires different colored duct tape that you might already have in your cabinet. Your kiddos will strategically tape together a fun goody bag to stash away their party candy and stickers!
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27. Star Suncatchers
Your children will love making this patriotic suncatcher and you’ll love the minimal material list! All you need is contact paper, tissue paper, glue, cardstock, and a marker. These eye-catching crafts are fun to make and great for developing fine motor skills.
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28. Patriotic Stars Thumbprint Craft
Fingerpainting never goes out of style, so this next one is certain to be a hit! This activity is also super easy to set up – all you need is cardstock or paper, red and blue paint, and a star template that your young ones will use to make unique patriotic thumbprints.
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29. Egg Carton American Flag
This fun egg carton craft is perfect for a 4th of July celebration. Your preschoolers will adore painting a flag onto the bumps of the carton, and all it takes from you is a little help cutting out the stars so they can glue them onto the finished piece!
Learn More: Crafty Morning
30. Fourth Of July Confetti Popper Rockets
A 4th of July celebration wouldn’t be complete without rockets! Be prepared for a little messy fun as your kids build and decorate these fun rockets that they’re going to love even more when the confetti starts to fall from the secret trap door!
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31. Piñata Balloons
This game can be easily turned into a patriotic activity when you gather red, white, and blue balloons to fill with party treats like sweets, bracelets, and stickers. Place a blindfold over their eyes and watch as your children take a swing at popping the balloons to collect the surprises!
Learn More: Simple Homemade
32. Patriotic Sand Art
Decorate your classroom with these lovely colored sand art jars. You’ll enjoy keeping the mess to a minimum by using plastic bags to mix the sand with food coloring and a funnel to pour the sand into jars. Your students will take it from there by shaking it all together!
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33. Patriotic DIY Bubble Wands
Your little ones probably already love bubbles and making their own special bubble wand only adds to the magic. All you need are pipe cleaners and some beads – red, white, and blue, of course, and lots of bubble mixture to make this activity a hit!
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34. Statue Of Liberty Crown And Torch
It’s dress-up time and what’s better than a crafty crown and torch for a Statue of Liberty costume? Using only paper plates, a toilet paper roll, paints, glue, and scissors to make these iconic symbols will help your preschooler feel quite special on the 4th of July!
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35. Patriotic Cloud Dough
Messy, squishy crafts are great fun and wonderful sensory activities. This one has your kids using corn starch, hair conditioner, and food coloring to make patriotic cloud dough! Once the dough sets, add it to a play station with some beads, flags, or other tokens, and watch the fun continue!
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36. Uncle Sam’s Hat
This easy-to-make hat is another perfect craft for dressing up on the 4th of July. Your little learners will need help constructing the hat, but they’ll love the freedom of being able to decorate it with stars and stripes. We guarantee they won’t want to take this one off!
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37. Fireworks In A Jar
Bring science into your 4th of July celebration with this fabulous experiment. All you need is a glass jar, water, vegetable oil, and some patriotic red and blue food coloring. Let your kiddos add just a couple of drops of food coloring to make this cute and safe fireworks display!
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38. Scavenger Hunt
It’s scavenger hunt time! This game is perfect for your children who might want to play it in teams for a little extra support. Just print off the scavenger hunt cards or use them as inspiration to create your own, equip your kids with a marker, and set them off on the hunt!
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39. Paperbag Eagle Craft
This craft is another one that also teaches your preschoolers about symbols related to the 4th of July. They’ll love the drawing, cutting, and gluing sticking that’s involved in making this eagle, and their caregivers will love the addition of their handprints that make this one a special keepsake!
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40. Paper Lantern Craft
Paper lanterns are fun to make at any time of year and the 4th of July is no exception. These are perfect for little hands to construct using red, white, and blue cardstock for the lantern and star cutouts, stickers, or ribbons for the decorations.
Learn More: The Crafting Chicks
41. 4th Of July Pinwheel
It wouldn’t be summer without pinwheels spinning in the breeze! This fun activity is great for kids to show off their creative side using crayons, pencils, or markers to make a fully working pinwheel. This one also comes with handy detailed instructions to walk you through each step.
Learn More: A Little Pinch Of Perfect
42. Red, White, And Blue Balloon And Paddle Game
This activity is sure to get your preschoolers moving! You can let them go to town decorating paper plates with paint, stickers, and glitter to make these cool and safe paddles. When they’re dry, simply blow up a balloon and let the games begin!
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