July 4th

Quick & Easy July 4th Activities for Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Easy & Inexpensive, Holidays, Infant & Toddler, July 4th, Kindergarten, Preschool, Seasons This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I had some much fun putting this post together. Easy July 4th activities for you and your kids to enjoy! Enjoy these Easy July 4th Activities for Kids!

Easy July 4th Activities for Kids

DIY Star Pattern Cards

I love working the pre-reading and pre-math mind. Kids as young as 2 and 3 (and EVEN younger) years old can begin to connect and solidify those neuron pathways enabling a ripeness for learning more complex concepts later in development. This festively themed 4th of July activity is perfect for preschoolers and perfect for making learning fun.

Materials Needed

Red, White, or Blue Cardstock
Star Stickers
Scissors
Laminator (optional)

Approach

Cut the cardstock into strips
Place stickers on card stock strip
Laminate
Create matching labels with same stickers
Cut out the matching labels
Demonstrate to the child how to match star to star
Alternatively you can prepare cards that don't complete a pattern and have the child choose the label or labels that come next in the pattern. There are many variations to pattern and matching cards.

Why are matching & pattern cards so beneficial?

Pattern cards teach young children logic when it comes to math and prepares a child for reading and writing. Typically pattern cards move left to right just as a child's hands and eyes would move when reading and writing later in his development.

4th of July Art Activities for Kids

How the heck do we introduce topics like America's birthday and the founding of our nation to young children? My quick answer is to find ways to hook them into the stories. Art activities work best with most young children in achieving this hook!

My sons are almost 4 and almost 2.5 years old. They understand that certain symbols, like a flag and statues, represent countries.

The Statue of Liberty particularly resonates with them because their dad travels to New York City several times a year. So I wanted to complete a few Statue of Liberty related art activities.

Art Activities for Kids

Statue of Liberty Resist Art

Materials Needed:

Poster board
Statue of Liberty print out
Scissors
Blue Paint
Brush
Star hole punch (optional)

Process

Find and print out a Statue of Liberty FREE printable online
Cut it out (older kids can cut the statue out on their own)
Tape it onto a piece of poster board.
Give your child the opportunity to paint.
I asked my son what color paint he wanted for this project. He chose blue (obviously).
Then we made stars with a paper hole punch. We ended up filling most of the poster board with stars.

I love the way it looks on our window with the light shining through the stars.

Statue of Liberty Art Activity

Materials Needed

Poster board
Statue of Liberty print out
X-acto knife
Red and blue dobbers

Process

Find and print out a Statue of Liberty FREE printable online, use your x-acto knife to cut out the Statue of Liberty only, then tape the template onto the poster board.

I used dobbers so that my 2.5 years old could feel a part of this project. You could use paint, crayons, markers, etc, whatever will work with your child. Once your child is done, pull the template off the poster board to see the Statue of Liberty and display. I love how abstract this artwork appears upon completion.

More 4th of July Activities for Kids

American Flag Fingerprint Activity
Marbled Art American Flag
Patriot Hand Print from B-Inspired Mama
Hand Print and Foot Print Flag from Serendipity
American Flag activity from True Blue Aggie Fans
Patriotic Rock Painting with Amazing Moms
Patriotic Ping Pong Pattern Match Activity by PediaStaff
Stringing Stars Activity from Toddler Approved
Fireworks by I Heart Lovely Things
Q-Tip Fireworks from Busy Bee Kids Crafts

Have fun and thank you for visiting today. If you liked what you read and learned, please share this post with your friends!

Marnie

Make a Marbled Art Paper Print of the American Flag

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Art, Elementary, July 4th, Kindergarten, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

One of my favorite parts of my Montessori training was the art portion. Not only did I learn a ton of process art activities for preschoolers, but I also got to do the activities! How lucky am I? Recently, we created an American Flag with marbled paper.

Marbled paper is known for a vibrant design as a result. So, creating an American Flag certainly required a bit of constraint. Once we created our flag, however, we made more marbled paper with gorgeous, creative designs.

Kids absolutely love this art activity. The result is beautiful (albeit the process is a bit messy and that is ok!). A super fun addition to a 4th of July, Memorial Day, or Veteran's Day themed unit.

Make a Marbled Paper Art Print of the American Flag

Art Materials Used

White cardstock
Shaving foam
Liquid watercolor or food coloring
Scissors or paper cutter to cut the cardstock
Tray
Drying rack (like the one you use for baking) is super handy

Steps to Take to Make Marbled Paper

Cut your cardstock to a size you'd like
Cover the tray (mostly) with the shaving foam
Add your American flag color design using a squirt bottle or dropper
Use a brush to smooth out foam and colors
Add stars to your flag (although it would be nice to be completely strict about placement and number of stars, I advise you to let it go, especially when working with kids!)
Press the paper flat onto the foam
Lift and allow time to dry
Admire your creation & consider extensions to this activity

Marbled Paper Extension Ideas

Make a Fourth of July night scene. Use black construction paper as the background and paper hole punch stars from your marbled paper
Create a string of stars using the marbled paper and hang it in your classroom or playroom
Design greeting cards & sell at a school function to raise funds
Make bookmarks as gifts for family, friends, & teachers

Before I go, I'd like to say one thing – this art activity will not produce an exact replica of the American flag. Give kids a poetic license. Allow them to be creative with the concept, which lays the foundation for the activity.

Pony Bead Crafts – Easy Pony Bead Suncatcher July 4th Activity for Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Crafts, Elementary, Holidays, July 4th, Kindergarten, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

We love pony bead crafts. Easy to do and the result is always beautiful! This Easy July 4th Pony Bead Craft for Kids is perfect for celebrating the birthday of the United States! Great for a wide age range, children love to create a design and watch the result. Plus, displaying this Melted Pony Bead Suncatcher in a window is beautiful!

What are Pony Beads?

Remember when you discovered water beads? I felt the same way when I discover pony beads. Super easy to integrate into learning, inexpensive, and provides loads of variations for different learning activities. Pony beads are plastic and hugely popular amongst kids and all types of crafters. Not only are these beads economical but they are available in many colors. The size of the bead is 6x9mm and there is a large hole making them easy to hold onto and to string.

Melted Pony Bead Crafts for Kids

Introducing the July 4th Craft

Like most activities in our home, I begin with a book or a conversation, or both, about the greater theme behind the activity. In this case, the conversation touched on the founding of our country. I played Schoolhouse Rocks Fireworks and America Rock. We talked about the colors that symbolize America and why the founders chose the colors:

“On June 14, 1777 in Philadelphia, the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution that read the following: ‘Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.'”

Only later did the meaning behind each color come to light with the creation of the United States seal: red is for valor, white is for purity, and blue is for vigilance. Then we moved onto a craft.

Materials

Red, White, and Blue Pony Beads
Star Silicone Mold
Bowl for beads
Tray for workspace

Melted Pony Bead Approach

Set out the pony bead materials
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Invite children to the activity
Design star molds with beads
Place the mold onto a cookie sheet
Pop into the oven for 15 minutes
Take out of the oven and let cool
Pop out of the mold
Display

Learning Ideas

Watch the beads melt and make observations with the children
Ask questions:
- How do you think the colors will melt together?
- How long do you think it will take for the beads to melt?
- Should we touch the stars when they come out of the oven?
- How long will it takes for the stars to cool down?
- What might we do to speed up the cooling process?

More July 4th Activities for Kids

More Super Easy Pony Beads Craft Ideas

Pony Bead Lizards

Pony Bead Suncatchers

Garden Art

Pony Bead Coasters

Bead Bowl

Pony Bead Napkin Ring

Pony Bead Bracelet

Patriotic Activities for Preschoolers

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Holidays, Infant & Toddler, July 4th, Memorial Day, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Patriotic Activities for Preschoolers

Here is a list of a few Patriotic Activities for Preschoolers we've done over time that would make great easy and last minute Patriotic Activities for this 4th of July!

Activity with Ice & Stars

Use a star-shaped ice tray, fill with confetti stars or other objects and add red and blue food coloring. Freeze. Allow your child to explore the cold ice melting, dig out objects and play with color. For older children, freeze objects like letters (USA) or numbers (1776) for a mini geography and history lesson.

Counting Stars – I used the same ice tray as the above activity. I marked each star with number 1-6. I filled a small bowl with exactly the amount of different objects to make it work (e.g. Control of Error). Include tongs to give your child a chance to work on fine motor skills.

Counting Flags – I bought a blue serving tray from Target for a few dollars, marked each section with a number 1-6 and filled the center with enough mini US flags to cover the amounts 1-6. Explain the activity by showing your child the tray, point to each number and the flags, then demonstrate the objective of the activity.

Patriotic Discovery Bottle

My mom led the way with this activity. What I love most was her approach. She focused on the process and not the result (although the result was great!). She included red, white and blue paper clips, ribbon, buttons, pipe cleaners and star confetti. She had my older son sort the buttons and paper clips by color into three bowls (logic) and then she asked him to cut the pipe cleaners and ribbon into smaller pieces (fine motor). The fun part, especially for our 1.5 year old was filling the bottle with the items! Then close it up with tape or glue and shake away!

Glitter Stars

Inspired by a pin that linked back to this wonderful Etsy shop, we cut stars from cardboard or foam, grabbed a quart sized food storage bag, our glue, and lots of silver glitter. Call your child over to the table, explain the project, ask him to dip each star into the glue, then ask him to pour the glitter into the bag. Then the fun part, add the stars to the bag and shake, shake, shake! The tough part is giving your stars enough time to dry. Patience is a virtue!

Red, White & Blue Golf Tees – I bought red, white and blue golf tee, had my son put them in a piece of styrofoam left over from a package we received earlier in the week, then gave him a few objects to balance on the golf tees. Great for fine motor skill development.

Thanks for choosing to read this post today. I hope that we inspired you. I love to hear from you so please comments!
Marnie