Patriotic Cardboard Tube “Crackers” – fill an empty cardboard tube with small candies, Patriotic-themed trinkets, and small glow sticks. Wrap the cardboard tube in tissue paper and tie the ends with a ribbon or yarn. Invite the kids to pull both ends at the same time – the tissue will break exposing all the goodies inside!
Patriotic “Sand” Bottles – pour table salt or sugar onto a paper plate. Have the kids rub chalk (red and blue drawing chalk will work best, but sidewalk chalk will do) in a circle on the paper plate until the salt or sugar takes on the color of the chalk. Fold the paper plate and pour the colored contents into an empty water bottle. **For very young kids, use a funnel inside the water bottle for ease with pouring. Keep alternating colors of colored sand or sugar until the water bottle is filled. Cap the bottle tightly for a fun layered sand bottle. This is a fun craft to “make and take” at parties or celebrations!
Patriotic “I-Spy” Bags –invite the kids to help make I-Spy bags for Memorial Day fun! Pour dry rice into gallon-sized zippered bags (fill the bag half-way full with rice to allow room for small toys and festive trinkets). Place small Patriotic-themed toys or trinkets inside the bag, close the bag, and seal with duct tape to avoid accidental spills. Some suggestions for toys or trinkets to add to the bags: green or tan plastic soldiers, foil stars or stickers, paper flags, cut pieces of paper straws in festive colors, or pony beads/wooden beads in festive colors.
Patriotic Colors Scavenger Hunt – give each of the children bags and have them “hunt the house” or outside play areas for red, white, or blue items within a predetermined time frame. The scavenger hunt can be played in teams or individually. Once the time is up, have the children/teams count the numbers of items found. Have a small prize for the team or player that finds the most items.
Patriotic Blow Paintings – place a small amount of blue and white washable tempera paint on a piece of red cardstock. Give your child a straw and invite them to gently blow across the paint on the red paper. Remind the children not to put the straw into the paint, but to blow the paint through the straw. Each painting will be a unique Patriotic display for the holiday!
Patriotic Wreath Craft – cut out the inner circle of one paper plate per craft. Invite the kids to cut red, white, and blue tissue paper into squares. Have the children use glue sticks to adhere the tissue squares to the paper plate. When the plate is covered, add a festive ribbon for hanging the craft.
Patriotic Craft Stick Puzzle Flags - each flag puzzle will need 7 craft sticks (or Popsicle sticks). On 3 of the craft sticks, mark a line vertically to divide the craft sticks that will be painted with two paint colors (to form the blue area of the flag). Have the children paint 2 craft sticks with white paint, 2 craft sticks with red paint, 2 craft sticks with blue and red paint, and one craft stick with blue and white paint. Allow the craft sticks to dry thoroughly after painting. When dry, scramble the craft sticks and ask the children to put sticks together to form a flag. If desired, the children can use foil stars to decorate the blue area of the flags. For younger children: numbering the back of the craft sticks (numbers 1-7) will help them put the sticks in the appropriate order.
Patriotic Napkin Snack - have the children create fruit flags on napkins for a special snack. Prior to snack time, wash the blueberries/strawberries and cut the strawberries into slices. Set out miniature marshmallows along with the fruit. Let the children use the fruit and marshmallows to create a “flag” on paper napkins (it may be helpful to make a flag snack for the children as a visual when making their flags from the fruit and marshmallows). Serve the flag snack with a cheese stick for a fun “Patriotic” treat!
To help kids learn a little history of the Memorial Poppy and make a fun cupcake liner Poppy craft, please see here!
About the Author: Darla Hutson has been a local family childcare provider serving children aged 0-5 for the past 31 years. Darla writes about playful learning activities in her childcare home via The Preschool Toolbox Blog. For more information about childcare or preschool openings, please email Darla at: collegehillsdayschool@live.com
