Celebrate Independence Day with Kid-Friendly Activities

The fireworks! The noisemakers! The explosions! The fear on the face of your toddler! The Fourth of July is a time of celebration for most families unless their small children are afraid of loud noises and crowds. This Independence Day, the Diocese of Orlando recommends you add a little sparkle to your celebration with these craft ideas and activities that will prove delightful rather than frightful for your young children enrolled in private school in Orlando.

• I love a parade!: If your child is not a fan of the crowds associated with large parades, check with your neighborhood, community center, or the City of Orlando to see if you can enter your little firecracker into a bike parade. Decorate the tricycle, bicycle, or stroller with streamers, cut-out stars, flags, or other patriotic symbols and watch as children pedal down the street with pride.

• Create a red, white, and blue dessert: A simple sheet cake or round layer cake can be jazzed up with a flag shape made of blueberries for the background and a scattering of white marshmallows for stars. Use strawberry glaze, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, or any other red fruit to design the red stripes on the flag.

• Inside fireworks: Use an empty paper towel tube or a lightweight dowel to decorate as a firecracker. Paint with finger paint, decorate with dazzling glitter, and spruce it up with star stickers. Add a small pen light or glow stick at the end, and turn off the light for an illuminatingly good time. You know your little ones are sure to add their own sound effects!

• Read all about it!: Learn about why we celebrate Independence Day by checking the Orange and Seminole counties library systems for their selection of books on the Revolutionary War, Independence Day, Old Glory, George Washington, the Declaration of Independence, or any other historic remembrance associated with the founding of the United States.

• Schoolhouse Rock!: Remember the short videos in between cartoons on Saturday mornings? Disney bought the Schoolhouse Rock! franchise and has the entire collection on DVD. You can purchase the series, watch individual videos online at no cost, or rent the DVD from the library. Your children are sure to enjoy them as much as you did, and you can all sing “The Preamble.”

The Diocese of Orlando wants you to keep your Independence Day safe and enjoyable. Make the day memorable with these ideas, and find more information on spending family time with your child by reading our blogs. Contact the Diocese at 407-246-4903 to ask about enrolling your child in one of our private schools in Orlando next year.