In this post, you will find Fourth of July games for kids. If you are looking for fun ways to celebrate the big day, you have come to the right spot. Maybe you’re looking to start the long weekend with some fun backyard games for you and the whole family. Well, stick around for the best Fourth of July games that the younger kids will love doing.
Independence Day is a day to celebrate America. After all, that day is considered the birthday of America, and what better way to celebrate than hanging out with people you love while having a barbecue, going to the lake, or going on a weekend trip?
If you are anything like us, you will have some fun with family at home, having a barbecue while waiting to see the local fireworks in your neighborhood.
If that is the case, let’s get to it with these Fourth of July activities that will keep your kids entertained.
Fourth of July Games for Kids
Here are 38 fun Fourth of July games for kids:
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Three-Legged Race
We all know this game, but if you don’t know how to play it, pair kids up and tie their adjacent legs together so it looks as if they have three legs. Do you see how the name came about?
Anyway, they must race to the finish line together without falling. This is fun to do and fun to watch from the sideline! You and your kids will have a blast. Even the adults will have fun doing this.
Potato Sack Race
Provide each child with a sack (pillowcase or potato sack). They must hop to the finish line while staying inside their sack. This sack race is another fun game. That all the kids, small children and bigger kids, will enjoy doing.
Water Balloon Toss
Pair up kids and have them toss a water balloon back and forth. After each successful toss, they take a step back. The last pair with an unbroken balloon wins. Water balloon toss is such a fun game that older and younger kids will have a blast playing.
It’s also a great way to cool off during the summer months. We love using Bunch O Balloons for water balloons, which, by the way, have Fourth of July-themed colored balloons.
What I love about Bunch O Balloons is how easy it is to get them ready. You will have a bunch ready for the kids to play within minutes.
Hula Hoop Contest
See who can keep a hula hoop spinning the longest. Provide several hula hoops for the kids.
Alternatively, if you don’t have many hula hoops, you can divide players into two equal teams, and the first two in each line compete to see who lasts the longest.
Patriotic Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of Fourth of July items for kids to find. Have the kids go around the house looking for these items or have them run around the neighborhood to find them. The first one to find all the items wins. Think of simple patriotic ideas like:
- an American flag
- picture of the Statue of Liberty
- patriotic clothing
- a sparkler
- a patriotic wreath
Here is a simple Fourth of July scavenger hunt printout you can use for young children.
Capture the Flag
A good old game of capture the flag. If you don’t know how to play, divide kids into two teams with a flag to protect. The goal is to capture the other team’s flag and return it to your base without being tagged. This game is fun and will keep your kids busy and entertained.
This is an excellent idea to do with the whole family too. This game will be ideal if you have a large area where the kids can freely run around.
Pin the Crown on the Statue
Blindfold children and have them try to pin the crown on the statue or this option you can pin the hat on the eagle. The child with the closest placement wins.
Flag Hunt
This is like an egg hunt at Easter, but it would be done on the Fourth of July with small American flags. Hide the mini flags throughout the backyard or indoors before the celebration starts.
When all the kids come over or are ready, have them look around for the flags. This flag hunt will keep them preoccupied for quite a bit. Don’t forget to get your mini flags!
Patriotic Bingo
Create bingo cards with patriotic symbols (flags, fireworks, eagles). Call out the items, and the first to complete a row wins. If you don’t want to create your own here is one you can get.
Fourth of July Parade
Have kids decorate their bikes, wagons, or scooters in red, white, and blue and parade them around the yard or neighborhood. You can use red, white, and blue streamers, bows, mini flags, balloons, pinwheels, and more. The kids decorating their bikes or the wagon will keep the younger kids busy.
Spoon and Egg Race
Give each child a spoon and an egg. The game’s objective is to race to the finish line while balancing the egg on the spoon. You can make the race harder for the older kids by having them do obstacles during the race, including walking backward, having two eggs instead of one, adding cones, or blindfolding them. It’s a great activity the whole family can get into.
Watermelon Eating Contest
Give each child a slice of watermelon and see who can finish theirs the fastest, hands-free. It’s a simple activity anyone can do that will keep the kids entertained and will require little effort.
Firecracker Ring Toss
Set up red, white, and blue bottles and provide rings for kids to toss. Aim for the bottles to score points. Alternatively, you can use mini flags and glow sticks. Here is an example of that from A Girl and a Glue Gun.
Patriotic I Spy
Play an I Spy game with the kids using Fourth of July-themed items, such as a BBQ grill, an American flag, watermelon, hot dogs, fireworks, and more. I spy is a good idea for the little kids.
Tug-of-War
Divide the kids into two teams and provide a rope. Each team tries to pull the other team across a designated line. You can make this more challenging for the kids by doing one-handed tug-of-war or being blindfolded.
Bubble Blowing Contest
Provide bubble wands and solution. See who can blow the largest or most bubbles in a set time. We love the giant rope bubble wand. If you don’t have this one, check it out. They make those giant bubbles.
Your children will love playing this! It might take a few tries before you get the hang of it, but it’ll be fun once you do.
Fourth of July T-shirt Decoration
Get plain white T-shirts for your children to decorate. Provide them with paint, stencils, sponges, brushes, and fabric markers to decorate their Fourth of July Shirts. They can decorate their shirt by making stars and stripes, firework explosions, patriotic handprints, or a flag design. It’s an easy craft for the younger children.
Fireworks Art Station
If you don’t want to decorate a T-shirt, how about having an art station? Set up a craft area with paints, colored pencils, construction paper, a piece of paper, stamps, stickers, and more. Whatever you have on hand will work. Kids can create their own fireworks art.
Cornhole
Set up a cornhole board and provide bean bags. Kids take turns tossing bags into the hole for points. Who doesn’t love a friendly competition? This would be great for the kids and even the adults!
Sparklers (with supervision)
Give kids sparklers to light up (under adult supervision, of course), and let them enjoy it.
Flag Relay
Create a relay where kids run to a station, grab a small flag, and bring it back to their team. If you don’t know how to play, the first player from each team holds their team’s flag and stands at the starting line. On the signal, the first player runs to the turnaround and returns to the starting line.
The first player hands the flag to the next teammate, who repeats the process. The relay continues until all team members have run the course and passed the flag. The first team to have all members complete the course and return to the starting line with the flag wins.
To make this more challenging, add obstacle courses. At each station, set up patriotic tasks, such as wearing a flag hat or carrying a small flag.
Patriotic Balloon Pop
Fill balloons with small toys or candy. Kids must pop the balloons to retrieve the prizes, such as temporary tattoos, stickers, or money. You can keep the prizes a surprise from the kids, or you can let them pick out their balloons without knowing what’s inside. Either way, they will have fun finding out what is hidden in their balloon.
Frisbee Golf
Set up targets around the yard and give each kid a frisbee. They must hit the targets in as few throws as possible. The target can be small mini flags that kids must land through the flag, cones, or hula hoops you can hang from the tree branches or set on the ground.
Water Gun Fight
Provide water guns and let kids have fun. You can’t go wrong with a water gun fight. The kids can cool off and burn off some of that energy.
You can also draw on the driveway with the water gun, and the best part is that you won’t have to clean up a mess. Once it dries they can start a new drawing. Either way, your kids will have fun playing.
Red, White, and Blue Tag
Use red, white, and blue bands to play a color-based tag game. If tagged, kids must freeze until freed by a teammate.
Sidewalk Chalk Fireworks
Give kids sidewalk chalk to draw their own fireworks on the driveway or sidewalk. Remember to get sidewalk chalk if you don’t have any. Here’s one in case you’re looking to get some.
Musical Chairs (Patriotic Music)
Set up chairs and play patriotic music. When the music stops, kids must find a chair to sit in. Remove one chair each round. Musical chairs is a fun game for everyone. Both kids and adults can do this. Watch as everyone gets competitive!
Balloon Relay
Here is another fun way to do a relay race. Kids must carry a balloon between their knees from start to finish without dropping it. Get red, white, and blue balloons to make it more festive.
Patriotic Face Painting
Set up a face-painting station with red, white, and blue designs.
Glow Stick Dance Party
Give kids red, white, and blue glow sticks for when the sun goes down. Play some fun songs they can dance to.
Patriotic Duck Pond
Fill a kiddie pool with water and patriotic floating ducks. Have the kids pick out a duck from the pool one by one. If they choose one that has prize written on the bottom, they win. The prizes can be stickers, mini playdough, temporary tattoos, bouncy balls, or anything else.
Patriotic Word Search
Have the kids do a word search puzzle with patriotic terms. The first to complete it wins.
Wooden Toppling Tower
How about playing with a five-foot-tall toppling tower? This toppling tower would be great for a Fourth of July party, and kids and adults will have a great time playing with it.
Obstacle Course
Set up a patriotic-themed obstacle course with various challenges, such as crawling under flags and jumping over hurdles.
Hot Potato (with a red, white, and blue ball)
Use a patriotic-colored ball for a hot potato game. When the music stops, the child holding the ball is out. Do this until there is only one kid left. To make this game a little more festive, add some patriotic songs.
Kite Flying
Provide red, white, and blue kites for kids to fly. This kite would be great to fly on the Fourth of July.
Patriotic Memory Game
Create a memory game with patriotic images. Kids take turns flipping cards to find matching pairs. It’s a simple game that the kids will enjoy doing. Here is one if you don’t feel like creating one yourself.
Wooden 4-in-a-Row Game
This game would be a great addition to your Independence Day celebration. The first person to have four of the same colored coins in a row wins. The game is sturdy enough to take indoors or outdoors. It is ideal for little kids and adults, making it great for party games as well.
Final Thoughts on Fourth of July Games for Kids
Whichever way you decide to celebrate the Fourth of July, whether with friends and family or by going on a weekend getaway, I hope you have a good time celebrating that day.
If this post was helpful, share it with your friends or save it to refer back to.
Related post you might find helpful:
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Fun Birthday Actvities for Kids to Do
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