Independence Day Crafts for Children

Doing Independence Day crafts is a perfect way for children to show good old American patriotism! The couple of years I spent in the USA are sure coming in handy as I'm writing this page, especially the summer day camps I helped in.

Here are some ideas of Independence Day crafts for your child. These are perfect activities for 2 year olds all the way up to 10 year olds. Even 1 year olds can manage most of these toddler craft activities with guidance. Enjoy your Fourth of July in style!

American Flag

Independence Day crafts aren't complete without making your very own "Star-Spangled Banner".

1. Cut an A4 (letter size) piece of white card in half. Cut up strips of red card and a small blue rectangle out of paper or card. Here are the official flag dimensions and details, if you like.
2. Let your child stick the red strips down horizontally (the toddler version may look rather creative or encourage them to copy a flag).
3. Find that blue rectangle you (or your older child) cut out. Depending on the age you could ask your child to draw stars with a white pencil or give a white chalk to a toddler and encourage them to make dots. (I found many toddlers love dot making while chalking and the dusty stray kind of looks starry.) Stick the rectangle to the top left corner of the flag.
4. Tape a few popsicle sticks end to end (overlapping) to create a staff, or you could find a stick from your back yard. Tape the stick onto the star side of the flag.

Patriotic Photo Frame

1. Create or find a photograph of your child or family. The normal (4" by 6") photo size is easiest to work with. Cut a strong A4 (letter size) piece of coloured card in two.
2. Draw and cut out an oblong hole that's 3 1/2" by 5 1/2" in the middle of one piece, so there's a border of a little over an inch on the longer sides and 1 1/4" on the shorter ones. Tip: Popping a large lump of blue tack (white tack) underneath the card is the neatest way of cutting a shape out of the middle.
3. Provide glue and a variety of red, white and blue stars and/or other collage bits and pieces such as: craft feathers, shiny or foam shapes, pom poms, tissue paper either cut into small pieces or scrunched up, etc., and let them create a masterpiece. Tip: place a piece of scrap paper or newspaper under the frame for an easy clean up.
4. When they have finished and it's dry, line up the photograph and the unused piece of card (from step 1) underneath the frame piece. Then stick the photo and frame to the backing card with a glue stick.
5. Tape a short piece of string in a loop poking out at the top.

Independence Day Door Hanging

Make a 4" by 6" sign saying 'God Bless America' on paper either typed or written. If your child's good at coloring inside the lines you could create lined block letters for him to color in. Follow the photo frame steps, replacing the photo with your sign.

Independence Day Streamers

Simply cut some red, white and blue crepe or tissue paper into long strips. Let your child tape the strips to a stick or your toddler could glue them onto half a small paper plate. You could also cut a handle out of the plate.

Then play or sing some patriotic songs and march with your child as they wave their Independence Day crafts. You could even make your own home made musical instruments to play as well. Click here to learn how to make musical instruments.

Fourth of July Fruit Salad

This is a nice and simple toddler cooking project - combining bananas, strawberries and blueberries to make a delicious summer fruit salad. Even a toddler can wash the berries and then place them in a bowl (once you or an older child have chopped the strawberries). Bananas provide even 3 year olds a chance to practise their cutting skills with a butter knife.

Once you've had fun assembling this red, white and blue dessert together, you then get the delight of eating it! You might like to encourage your child to serve it with a little whipped cream or ice-cream to family or gathered guests, and of course you'll want to secure some patriotic-looking bowls for the occasion. :-)

I hope you and your child both enjoy these Independence Day crafts!

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