Top Ten 4th of July Games for Kids
June 25, 2019
Every summer, the 4th of July is a day set aside for fun-filled traditions with family and friends to celebrate the nation’s birthday. On this day, most of us are firing up the grill and getting ready to head to the local fireworks display armed with sparklers and lawn chairs. But while the grownups are gathering around the barbeque with an ice-cold drink, what can the kids do to make memories of their own? The answer depends on the games you have planned!
4th of July games for kids are easier to plan than you think, and you might be surprised to find that many games for preschoolers are equally fun for adults! From giant Jenga to a round of backyard Twister, the ideas below will bring out the kid in all your guests while entertaining your littlest guests.
Keep reading to find ideas for the best 4th of July games for children, with a few indoor suggestions just in case the party is rained out!
4th of July Party Games for Kids
Whether you’re camping all day out at the local park waiting for the fireworks or if the party is in your own backyard, the following outdoor games will delight every guest both young and old!
Yard Flamingo Ring Toss
If you’re from the East Coast or the Midwest, you’re likely very familiar with pink yard flamingo ornaments. They were once so popular in cities across the US that some have jokingly made the yard flamingo the city bird or a symbol for the town. Regardless, yard flamingoes have become the most widely known yard ornaments around! That means they should be easy to find at any garden center or home improvement store for this spin on the traditional 4th of July ring toss game.
All you’ll need is a few plastic flamingos and some plastic rings easily found on the web or at party stores. Simply stick the flamingoes into the grass in the backyard using the wire spokes. If you live in Arizona or Nevada, where you might not have a lawn, you can easily get plant pots and fill with sand to prop up the flamingos. To play, give players rings and take turns tossing the rings, attempting to get the rings around each plastic flamingo’s head or neck. The player that successfully tosses the most wins!
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Outdoor Jenga
Who doesn’t love a good game of Jenga? The objective of the game is easy enough for even the youngest of children who are so adorable while concentrating to pull each brick from the tower to place it on top. Bring the fun outdoors by creating a giant life-sized version that can be played outdoors!
Plan ahead for this party game by heading to the nearest home improvement store for 2x4 lumber pieces. Using a miter saw, it’s relatively easy to make giant Jenga pieces. Just look up instructions on the web and for under $30 and with about an hour or two, you can make your own set.
When you’re ready to play, the rules of the game are exactly the same as regular Jenga, but this game can be played outside, and the stakes are even higher and more exciting as the tower grows bigger. The first to make it come tumbling down loses!
Watch our exciting Independence Day video to help your children understand the history and meaning of this important national holiday!
Giant Dominoes
Using the same idea as the DIY Jenga pieces, you can also make a giant dominoes set for outdoor fun on the 4th of July! To prepare, get around 18 feet of 1x4 lumber boards. Try to find a type of wood, like pine, that does not include knots. That way, when the dominoes are turned over, other players cannot try to determine which pieces you have! But some stain and polyurethane sealant, and finally pick up a package of white label dots. Using these materials, make at least 28 dominoes.
On the big day, go outside and play a giant game of dominoes on the grass with your kids and guests!
Water Balloon Jug Toss
The weather is hot, and kids want to cool off. By all means, outdoor summer games and activities should include water play, too! Create an easy water balloon game by using milk jugs and some duct tape!
Using sharp scissors, cut each milk jug in half and discard the bottom. Turn the top half with the handle upside down so it looks like a scoop. Apply duct tape to the cut edges so they do not tear apart the balloons during play.
To play, prepare a bucket with water balloons. Divide children or players into teams and take turns tossing a balloon back and forth. For each successful catch, take one step back. If the balloon pops, that player is out of the game. The players that can toss it the furthest without the balloon breaking wins. Keep tossing it back and forth until one player or team wins!
Backyard Twister
Don’t have a Twister game to entertain the kids? No problem! Make one in the grass using a few simple supplies! Use foamboard or cardboard to make the spinner and cut a large circle-shaped hole in a large piece of cardboard to use as a stencil. Make sure to have a few cans of spray paint on hand in these colors: blue, yellow, red, and green. Choose the area of the grass you would like to use, and using the stencil, spray paint circles onto the lawn to look like a Twister board.
On the 4th of July, get the kids together, play some music, and spin the spinner to take turns playing on your homemade, outdoor Twister game!
Backyard Bubble Pitcher
If your child is like most, he or she loves bubbles! Oftentimes all it takes to entertain kids for hours at a time is a whole lot of bubbles. Make a homemade bubble station to keep on hand to blow almost unlimited bubbles!
What you need is a large multi-gallon pitcher with a front dispenser, which can be easily found for cheap at Walmart or on Amazon. Instead of filling the jug with a drink, fill it with bubble solution instead. Make your own or pour in commercial solution and be sure to have plenty of bubble wands ready to go! Keep some small disposable plastic cups nearby that can be refilled as your child runs out of bubbles. Simply fill the cups, dip the wands, and blow bubbles! Experiment with different types of wands or see who can blow the biggest bubble! Don’t forget to clearly label the pitcher and keep it in a centralized location, easy to find for all party guests!
Water Balloon Batting Practice
Baseball has long been one of the most traditional 4th of July games, but sometimes getting out to the ballpark isn’t easy or ideal, especially with young children. Instead, bring America’s favorite pastime home by playing a game of ball with your little guests using water balloons!
Create a whole baseball game, or just go for batting practice using plastic whiffle ball bats and water balloons. Fill up balloons ahead of time and store in a bucket until it’s time to play. Then, players take turns throwing and hitting water balloons with the bat. Go ahead and make it a whole game by planning bases, rules, and more!
Summer Tic Tac Toe
Transform a scrap wood board into an instant board game classic: Tic Tac Toe! Use a wood board, some stain, and polyurethane coat to get started. Paint on a white Tic Tac Toe board using white latex or oil-based wall paint. While that dries, search for large and smooth garden stones to use as game pieces. Using the white paint, mark each stone with an “x” or “o” and make enough to play an outdoor game of Tic Tac Toe!
On the big day, gather your guests and watch as children face off playing an exciting outdoor version of this classic game!
Indoor 4th of July Games, Just in Case
Stuck inside on a rained-out holiday? Don’t worry! Not even the rain can put a damper on fun 4th of July festivities! Try the following ideas if your family’s outdoor party is staying inside this year:
Uncle Sam DIY Hat Competition
Get all the kids together and gather up as many art supplies as possible! Use construction paper, markers, cotton balls, paint, glue, and any other materials you have around the house to use to make Uncle Sam top hats! Challenge all players to a competition to see who can make the very best hats using the supplies provided. When kids are finished, have them show off their creations to all the grownups, and vote on a winner!
Make a Marshmallow Catapult or Tower
Using kabob skewers, rubber bands, crafts sticks, tape, and a plastic spoon, make a couple marshmallow catapults to host a competition! Find directions online or DIY it yourself, since catapults are quick and easy to make! Once built, watch as kids battle it out to see who can catapult his or her marshmallow the farthest!
If you don’t have all of the above supplies on hand, instead of creating catapults, challenge players to build a tower using skewers, toothpicks, or straws, and marshmallows. The player or team that constructs the tallest tower wins! Feel free to challenge teams to build other structures, too, and don’t forget to eat the results!
No matter how your family is spending the 4th of July, backyard games are easy to set up and play, and will keep guests of all ages entertained and happy while celebrating the country’s 242nd birthday! If the weather calls for rain, head indoors and find supplies around the house to host competitions and indoor games to ensure a fun-filled Independence Day, even if the fireworks have been postponed.
