I’m a big believer that birthdays ought to be celebrated and seen as a special occasion rather than treated like “just another day.” I mean, it’s a day to celebrate and honor the gift of someone or something being part of this world, so shouldn’t it be treated as something special? As we get closer to Independence Day, I’ve thought a lot about America and the fun things we do to celebrate her every year– fireworks, parades, festivals, concerts, barbeques with family and friends, and other kinds of get togethers with people we love. There are so many ways to celebrate our wonderful country!
Besides taking an entire day to celebrate America’s birthday, it’s fun to find engaging and educational activities for our students or kids to do in the days leading up to the Fourth of July. This year is even more special because America is turning 250 years old– and that’s really something to celebrate! Below you will find a collection of ideas you can use with your own children or with your students if school is still in session for you! These activities can be used and adapted for many ages.
- Patriotic sensory bins- Use food coloring to dye white rice red and blue, then the three colors of rice together to create a red, white, and blue sensory base. Add in plastic stars, beads, coins, and miniature flags to make a fun patriotic themed sensory bin.
- Print off and use the patriotic word scramble or I-Spy page found here.
- Take a drive around town and keep tally of all the flags you can see as you drive. You could even create a “worksheet” to use before hand with space to tally how many flags you find of different sizes (small, medium, and large).
- Teach your kids or students about the significance of the Declaration of Independence. For older kids, go into more depth about the meaning behind some of the most powerful phrases from the document.
- Learn about the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
- Have students write a “break up letter” from America to England, including what England did to cause the break up.
- Research Independence Day celebrations from across the country. Talk about the different ways people celebrate the birth of our nation.
- Read the words to the Pledge of Allegiance together and talk about what they mean. Do the same for the National Anthem.
- For older kids, have them create some sort of artistic representation of what makes America who she is. Is it the people? The food? Music? Landscape?
- Create a timeline of events that lead up to Americans declaring independence.
- Have students write a letter to America from England begging for forgiveness and to come back, including promises to change the things that had driven Americans away.
- Take a look at this post to find more patriotic ideas!
Happy Independence Day! We hope you enjoy celebrating this great nation and that you enjoy the time with those you love!