Do you smell the smoke from the fireworks?
Can you taste the food from the backyard barbecues?
Can you hear the laughter of children splashing in the pools?
That can only mean one thing, the 4th of July is upon us!
As a child, I always looked forward to the 4th of July. Whether it was a barbecue with friends to watch the Moore firework show or shooting off fireworks with my family, it was always my favorite holiday!
As we have grown our little family, we have started some 4th of July traditions that our daughter expects and enjoys every year. Most of these traditions are easy and inexpensive!
~Decorate for the holiday as a family. The 4th of July is our favorite holiday, so we usually go all out with our decorations. We decorate together, and as we do, we remind our daughter why we celebrate the 4th of July.
~Buy 4th of July t-shirts and headgear for the kids. I take my girl each year to get a new shirt for the 4th. Walmart and Target usually have cute and inexpensive shirts. This year we found a cute crown in red, white, and blue for my daughter to wear, as well as sunglasses with blue and white stars from Hobby Lobby. She loves and looks forward to going and picking these things out each year!
~Go and buy fireworks as a family. My daughter has her favorites and wants to make sure we get those for my husband to shoot off. Don’t live outside the city limits to shoot off your own fireworks? Find out where your city will be having its fireworks show and go as a family.
~Take a 4th of July photo each year as a family. My husband and I started taking a 4th of July photo together the first year we were married. It’s been fun to look back and see how we’ve changed and see one foster kid come and go and one stay.
~Have a cookout with family or friends. We spend every 4th of July with my parents having a cookout with our family. If you don’t have family close, have a small cookout with just your immediate family or invite some friends over. Nothing says 4th of July like a hot dog, hamburger, watermelon, and my mom’s homemade potato salad! Yum, I can’t wait!!!
~Go swimming with the family. Hit up the public pool or the neighborhood pool during the day and let the kids soak up the sun. Some of my favorite memories of the 4th are times spent splashing in the pool with my cousins, and now that is one of my daughter’s favorite things to do!
~Have a craft for the kids to do during the day. I always try to find a 4th of July craft for my daughter to make the morning of. She gets so anxious waiting to leave for her grandparents’ home, so a craft is the perfect way to distract her. I like to find a lot of my craft ideas on Pinterest and usually I can find an easy one. Try one of these fifty 4th of July crafts that I found on Pinterest. https://www.thistinybluehouse.com/4th-of-july-crafts/
~Play outdoor games that children may have not heard of. Get out that cornhole game or the ladder toss game and teach your kids how to play.
What traditions do you have as a family for the 4th of July? I would love to add some to my list.
