The Fourth of July is a special day for Americans to celebrate their country’s birthday. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the holiday with your family, especially if you have young children.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Decorate

One easy way to decorate for the Fourth of July is to string red, white, and blue lights around your porch or in your yard. This will create a festive atmosphere for any outdoor activities you have planned. If you have a pool, consider adding some patriotic pool floats or toys for the kids to enjoy.

DIY Sparklers

If you’re looking for a fun activity, try making DIY sparklers. All you need is aluminum foil, a dowel or chopstick, and fireworks powder. Roll the aluminum foil around the dowel, leaving a small hole at the top. Then, carefully add fireworks powder to the hole. When you’re ready to light them, hold them at arm’s length and light the powder with a long match or lighter. Be sure that an adult supervises this activity.

Crafting

Another fun activity is to make Fourth of July–themed crafts with the kids. There are many ideas online, but some festive ones include making a painting or drawing of an American flag, making paper plate bald eagles, or decorating T-shirts with patriotic designs.

Cooking or baking

Of course, no Fourth of July celebration would be complete without some delicious food. If you’re grilling out, consider making patriotic dishes like red, white, and blue Jell-O cups or an American flag fruit pizza. For dessert, you could make star-shaped sugar cookies or a patriotic cake such as this!

Fireworks Displays

If you want to watch some fireworks but don’t want to deal with the crowds, there are plenty of great spots to watch them from, possibly even from your backyard. Just do a little research online to find out when and where the fireworks will be taking place in your area.

No matter how you celebrate, the Fourth of July is a great time to spend with family and friends. So get creative and have fun!

Stefano Ceppi

Neurodivergent father of two, and here to share what I've learned thus far! Qualified 200h RYT, AIMS Global Level 1 Mentor.