Happy Independence Day
Several of our family traditions have stemmed from the Mother Goose Time Independence Day Celebration Kit!
Over the years we have enjoyed:
- Patriotic Toast
- blueberries, banana slices, and red jam in flag formation on toast
- Firework Art
- a fork and paint work well to make firework art to use as decorations
- Design a Flag
- paper, tape, paint, markers, etc. are great for creating our own flags
- Star Search
- foam stars hidden in red, white, and blue pasta are super fun for little hands to find and count
Sing and Rhyme on Independence Day
The kids get so excited for Independence Day and struggle with having to wait for some of the main attractions.
This song and rhyme are perfect for helping kids wait for
- fireworks to start
- or the local parade kick off
Firework Song
Try this simple song set to the tune of “Row Your Boat,”
Boom, crack, whistle, pop!
Fireworks in the sky.
See them lighting up the night,
It’s the 4th of July.
This works really well as a round with older family members if you’re into that kind of thing!
Five Little Firecrackers
Five little firecrackers waiting to roar,
One blasted off and now there are four.
Four little firecrackers, what a sight to see,
One gave a loud bang,
now there are three.
Three little firecrackers,
they know what to do,
One exploded, and now there are two.
Two little firecrackers, oh, what fun!
One crackled and popped,
now there is one.
One little firecracker left, oh my!
It made a loud boom –
Happy 4th of July!
Mother Goose Time includes a set of firework cut outs that kids can use to count back from five.
I plan to use them every year, but am guilty of forgetting them every year!
The good news? You can just use your fingers! It’s a perfectly portable, non-forgettable solution 🙂
Family Game Time
Our family loves spending time playing games together.
With little ones, games that involve actively getting up and moving are some of the best.
This year, we played two which were huge hits!
Put the Hat on Uncle Sam
Supplies
- Uncle Sam poster*
- Hats*
- tape (we use masking tape)
- scissors
- blindfold (optional)
*these supplies are part of the Independence Day Celebration Kit provided by Mother Goose Time
Prep
- Cut out the hats and put a loop of tape on the back of each.
Discuss
Some people like to dress us in their country’s colors (the colors found on the flag) when they celebrate. Many people in the United States dress in red, white, and blue on the 4th of July.
Play
- Hang the poster on the wall.
- Give the child hat and spin him around as you count together to 20.
- Optional: Put a blindfold loosely on the child and spin just a few times.
- Encourage the child to try to place the hat on the head of Uncle Sam.
- After each child has had a turn, compare to see which hat is closest to being in the right spot.
Our Experience
I had the kids write their first initial on all of the hats. This made it a lot easier to figure out who’s hat was closest to Uncle Sam’s head at the end of the game. Plus, who can argue with a little extra handwriting practice 🙂
Since we just moved into a new house, I couldn’t find a blindfold to save my life. So, my five year old came up with the idea of using a winter hat to cover their eyes. This worked perfectly for everybody but the 2 1/2 year old, who isn’t big on anything covering his eyes. We just let him turn around in a circle and place the hat without a blindfold.
Sure, this game involves some gross motor and helps the kids focus on family and community. Mostly, I love watching them have a fantastic time together. The laughter and merrymaking are my favorite part of the holidays!
Ring the Liberty Bell
Look at that cute toddler bottom on the left and the 80s rockstar preschooler on the right!
This is called a Momma Action Shot! LOL
Supplies
- bingo chips*
- ring the bell score sheets*
- markers
- masking tape
- string
- beanbag
- bell with handle
*these supplies are part of the Independence Day Celebration Kit provided by Mother Goose Time
Prep
- Hang the bell low from the ceiling.
- Make two tape lines, each about 5 to 10 feet away from the bell, based on your space.
Discuss
What are some ways you can get the attention of people?
In 1776, the Liberty Bell rang to gather citizens of Philadelphia for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell became a symbol of freedom.
Play
- Invite children to divide into two teams (or each child may keep count on his own) and take turns tossing a beanbag at the bell and trying to ring it.
- If the child rings the bell with his toss, encourage him to place a bingo chip on a bell icon on the score sheet. If the child misses, invite him to move to the back of the line and try again on his next turn.
- The first team to fill the sheet of bells and count them aloud wins.
Our Experience
This game was a highlight of our 4th of July. The kids adored having an active, outdoor game to play before all the other festivities began. Dad even joined in the fun!
As mentioned above, we have just moved to a new house. With most of our belongings still in boxes, beanbags and bells with handles were hard to find. We strung some jingle bells on paracord from a tree in the backyard. Each of the three bells was at a different height. In place of beanbags, we used some lightweight wiffle balls. The jingle bells make fabulous sounds when you hit them and the paracord really swings which the kids loved! The bells looked a little like apples when hung from green cord, so maybe this could even be used as a “back to school” game.
We used the enclosed scorecards. My daughter celebrated being the first to put a bingo chip on every bell, but everyone was a winner just as soon as they were able to put a bingo chip on each of the bells.
My youngest enjoyed having some help from Daddy with reaching the bells.
My older kids also enjoyed jumping up and hitting the bells with their hands. I’ve always found it amazing how games like this one can almost effortlessly help kids become more comfortable with numbers and counting.
We will absolutely be playing this game again next fourth of July. Hopefully, by then we can find the beanbags and some cowbells!
These activities are very simple to set up and complete and so worth the kids’ smiles.
Being able to include the little ones in the family celebrations is just wonderful!
The fact that these activities help the kids learn and grow in their abilities is just a huge bonus!
Thanks Mother Goose Time for these awesome Independence Day ideas!
Happy Fourth of July!
Cheers,
