Have an awesome 4th of July at home

We love the 4th of July!

While we’ll miss some traditions this year like going downtown to the parade, I think the best part of the day is celebrating our freedom with family at home.

Here are some of the things we’ve enjoyed doing over the past years…

Decorate your home

Hang a flag (inside or out), get some festive throw pillows, make a floral arrangement (I did one with silk flowers last year, so it was ready to pull out and use again this year). It’s always fun to cheer up your space for a holiday! I love collecting a little each year, and after time it adds up to a lot. Decorate yourself too with some red, white, & blue 🙂

Make an American-inspired playlist

Use Spotify or Apple Music to make a playlist of classic American songs. The Battle Hymn of the Republic, You’re a Grand Ol’ Flag, When Johnny Comes Marching Home are great. Rally Round the Flag was our favorite last year. Country music always seems appropriate for the 4th of July too. Here is a favorite playlist of ours on Apple Music. Yankee Doodle Mickey is a fun album if your kids like Disney, and Jim Brickman’s album Freedom Rings is great for chill.

Read about the Founding Fathers

July feels like a great time to read about American history. We’ve enjoyed Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May and Can’t You Make them Behave King George? Jean Fritz’s other books look fun too!

We also love the Childhood of Famous Americans series.

Kids love to learn why we celebrate and remember things, and I do too.

Plan a Patriotic Program

We did this for the first time last year, and it was so fun! Have your kids learn some of the songs on your playlist, and let everyone recite the pledge of allegiance. If someone plays an instrument, do that. Memorize or read the Bill of Rights, Gettysburg address, or Declaration of Independence. Kaden made a short historical film with some of his LEGO figures last year. Someone could design a program or make refreshments. Do what sounds fun to you!

Yard Games

Last year was our first year with a big yard for this, so you can really do these in a patch of grass (we did many for years!) We like to play…

Water balloon catch

Someone tosses water balloons for everyone else to catch, anyone who successfully catches without popping the balloon gets $1 (involving money makes it so much more exciting 😉 )

Water balloon toss

Everybody picks a partner and tosses a water balloon back & forth. Take a step back after each successful catch. The last pair to not drop or pop their balloon wins!

Water fight

Use water guns to blast each other. Let the little kids use the hose.

Really anything involving water is fun, even if you all have to share a baby swimming pool!

Plan a fun menu

4th of July is the perfect time to enjoy the best foods of summer. We love to grill out, have watermelon, corn on the cob, peas & cheese salad, ice cream… there are so many good options. Berries make any dessert look patriotic too.

Fireworks

Fireworks make me nervous, but Alex always handles them in our family. When he’s not around, we at least do sparklers. Something about them is just so festive and summery!