Fun Fourth of July Games for Kids
Since this holiday falls right in the middle of the summer and many families have BBQ’s, the 4th of a July is a great time to encourage kids to get outside and play some games. They can play and learn some history at the same time. These games will also keep kids occupied and excited about the holiday!
Classic Outdoor Games
Organizing a flag relay using mini American flags can be a fun, engaging game for kids to play. You can purchase mini flags at most party stores. Give each child a mini flag. Then split the children into two teams and mark a start and finish line on opposite sides of the lawn. Place a large bucket of sand or soil for each team at these start and finish lines. Place flags in the buckets (1 per teammate) and on cue, have the first child from each team race to the bucket. Once they are there, they take a flag from their teams bucket and march (not run!) back to his/her team as fast as possible to tag the next person. When all the members of one team have returned to the starting line with a flag, that team has won!
Other fun festive games include the old-fashioned three-legged race. Using old t-shirt fabric, you can gently tie adjacent legs of two children together, so they essentially share a leg. There are two children per team. Then create a start and finish line, and kids can race to it.
Another game is the potato sack race. You can create a makeshift potato sack using old laundry bags and have the children step inside the bags and race to a finish line.
Red, white and blue tag is another active fun game idea. You give each child a red, white or blue token and the children run around, trying to ‘tag’ each other. Each time they tag another child, they get that child’s token. The first child to have all three colored tokens wins!
Creative Driveway Chalking
Outline an area in the driveway, and buy some sidewalk chalk. Have the children draw pictures according to a patriotic theme, such as American history, the Presidents, or facts about the Declaration of Independence. You could even have them draw their favorite things about living in America.
Envision your own American flag! Invite the children to use crayons and paper to create their own ideas of an American flag. Let them brainstorm ideas of what America means to them and translate this into images on paper.
US Trivia
Using simple facts about the fifty states and US history, you can have a trivia game. This is a good option for older children. You can have the kids split into teams and work together to answer questions about the fifty states in the US.
Cupcake Decorating
Using red, white and blue frosting, sprinkles and other toppings, have the children decorate plain, undecorated cupcakes. You can be creative and healthy with toppings options and include colorful blueberries, cherries, and coconut flakes. You can choose an adult to be a blind judge.
