The Fourth of July is here. It's a time for family and friends to gather for barbecues and fireworks displays and to honor the courage and faith of our founding fathers. It's time to paint the sky RED, WHITE, and BLUE, and we have just the crafts and activity ideas to help make your Fourth of July a spectacular celebration. Join the Independence Day parade--make some of our patriotic craft ideas and learn about the American Flag.
Red, White and Blue Sensory Bin
Place different items with the colors red, white, and blue in your sensory bin. Let children sort the items by colors.
Fine Motor Skills
Fill a small tub with rice. Hide some small red, white, and blue pom-poms and some felt stars in the rice. Let children use tweezers to find and pick out the items.
Play Dough Center
Provide red, white, and blue play dough and some felt stars. Print out an American flag picture and laminate. Let children place the play dough on top of the picture.
Colors in the Flag
Talk about the American flag and the colors that are in the flag. The stripes are red and white, the stars are white, and the rectangle is blue.
Stars and Stripes
Supply children with red and white paint and white star stickers. Cut a sponge in to small squares and poke a plastic fork inside. Draw a rectangle to the top left corner of a blue craft paper. Let children use the sponges to create red/white stripes on the blue craft paper. Last, let them glue the stars to the inside of the blue rectangle.
Stars Cookie Cutter Art
Put a small amount of red and blue tempera paint on a paper plate. Demonstrate to children how to dip the cookie cutter in the paint and press onto a piece of paper to create a star print.
Stars Sequencing by Size
Cut out many different sizes of white stars. Ask children to line up the stars from largest to smallest.
Every 4th of July celebration needs a fireworks. Ask students about their experiences with fireworks and what sounds they make. Pretend to set off fireworks and make all the explosive noises that go along with them. Pretend to set off giant ones (loud) and small ones and wave imaginary sparklers around.
Firework Artwork
Place different light colors of paint with added glitter on paper plates. Let children use different brushes to dip inside the paint and then press on a black craft paper to make fireworks.
Firework Artwork
Have children drop different colored paint on black craft paper. Let them use a craft stick or the back of a brush to swirl or burst the paint out from the middle. Demonstrate how to overlap the different colors. When dry, add glue to the firework designs. Next, sprinkle glitter onto the wet glue to finish your very own fireworks.
Fireworks in the Sky
Original Author Unknown
(Tune: Row , Row, Row Your Boat)
Boom, crack, whistle, pop!
Fireworks in the sky.
See them lighting up the night,
On the Fourth of July.
Red, blue, gold, and green,
With fireworks we say,
Happy Birthday, America,
It's Independence Day!
On Independence Day
(Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Fireworks go snap, snap, snap!
Crack, crack, crack!
Zap, zap, zap!
Fireworks make me clap, clap, clap
On Independence Day!
This 4th of July teach your Kids the American Flag Symbols:
The stripes represent the 13 original colonies. The 50 stars represent the number of states.
The colors of the flag have meaning as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor. White symbolizes Purity and Innocence. Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance, and Justice.
American Flag Artwork
Print a b/w version of the American flag. Provide children with red, white, and blue craft paper. Let children tear the paper into small pieces and glue them on the paper to create the American flag.
Fold a Flag
Fold a Flag Take a flag and teach children the correct way to fold and store a flag.
Flag Puzzle
Give children a picture of an American flag and cut apart. Have children put the flag back together.
Flag Code - How to Treat an American Flag
Way up in the Sky
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Wave, wave, wave the flag,
Hold it very high.
Watch the colors gently wave,
Way up in the sky.
March, march, march around,
Hold the flag up high.
Wave, wave, wave the flag,
Way up in the sky.
Proper Display of the American Flag
Flags Matching Game
Print pictures of the different flags of the world. Make two copies of each and glue each flag to an index card. Teach children the flags from five different countries, per example (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico). Let children find and match the different flags.
Teach your students the pledge of allegiance and the correct way to salute a flag. Explain what the importance of all the words are and why students should the flag should be treated with respect.
I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
A is for America by Devin Scillian This alphabet book explains much of America?s history.
Hurray for the Fourth of July by Wendy Watson
Proud to be an American - coloring page
What Is a Flag?- writing activity