Quick — name your favorite holiday celebration. A few different ideas top the list, maybe Christmas, Thanksgiving, or a birthday. It’s easy to find gifts and crafts for these standard gift-giving holidays, but what about holidays that don’t usually have gifts?
Independence Day may not be a gift-giving holiday in theory, but choosing to celebrate holidays together as a family could help make your child’s memories special. Go ahead and throw Fourth of July parties that everyone will enjoy, and then incorporate the tradition of gift-giving. Gifts for the Fourth are often cheap, plasticky ones designed to go in the garbage on July fifth, and fireworks may be off the list.
These July Fourth gift ideas for children could be an excellent way to build memories and create special moments throughout the year. Take some inspiration from our list and make July Fourth extra special this year.
Build crafts together
Children want more than anything to spend time with you and succeed with more attention. Instead of purchasing cheap toys or favors, give your child the chance to build something creative to celebrate the holiday.
Giving your children raw art materials provides children the chance to develop critical cognitive skills like cause and effect or problem-solving. For smaller children, gifts of crayons are an excellent way to encourage these skills. Choose red, white, and blue shades and allow your children to decorate placemats.
Older children may appreciate crafting gifts that allow them to shine. Invest in foam Statue of Liberty crowns and allow children to decorate them with red, white, and blue markers, beads, glitter, or anything else you could find.
Teens may appreciate crafts that allow them to build their own Statue of Liberty, 3D government buildings, or famous aircraft. Kits with everything your teen needs to put the model together are easy to find and may entertain them for hours. You can offer tips or act as a second pair of hands when needed.
Gift experiences instead of things
Children also benefit from a variety of experiences in their lives. Instead of handing them a bunch of things every Fourth, use this time to allow them to experience a variety of items related to the holiday.
Pick-your-own berries and fruit is a fun summertime activity that can make the Fourth of July holidays fun. Check out what’s available in your area and plan a fun afternoon teaching your child where their food comes from.
Another fun experience could be local food festivals or craft fairs. Your child could experience these fun festivals each year, and you could even give your child the chance to choose what festival they’d like to attend.
Travel isn’t always possible, but luckily, online sources can give your child the chance to travel without leaving the house. Every Fourth of July, choose a museum, trail, or other experience that your child can explore with you online and use this time to bond together.
Experiences can ignite your child’s curiosity and encourage a love of learning. Use the internet to your advantage and craft an experience each year on the Fourth for great memories.
Subscription boxes
Fourth of July could be a great time to gift your child a three-month subscription box. Subscription boxes come in so many themes and bundles. Beginning a new hobby or exploration on the Fourth of July could be a fun memory.
Set your subscription box to begin delivery during the month of July and craft a note to give to your child on the Fourth, giving them a clue for what’s to come. A three-month subscription cycle is enough to give them to explore the subject thoroughly.
Some fun subscription ideas to get you started:
- Choose an art subscription box to give your child fun new tools to create. Include a small box of crayons or pencils with the note.
- Subscribe to an engineering box to give your child the chance to build new inventions and explore the science of physics. Include a small model or pull-back car with your note.
- Invest in a travel box to introduce your child to new places and cultures. The United States is full of people from different places, and this could be a wonderful exploration. Include a small postcard in your note.
- Select a cooking box to help celebrate the role food plays in all of our holidays. Cooking with you could ignite a passion for nutrition and creativity. Include a fun, child-sized kitchen tool with your note.
Books
Children don’t often get the chance to explore the deep, rich history of the world, and the Fourth could be an excellent chance to start. Gift your child a book each year that introduces an age-appropriate concept about politics, history, philosophy, or any other subject.
This could be a time to explore hidden or alternative histories, i.e., ones not traditionally studied in a classroom. You could choose a book about the native population in your area, for example, giving your child the chance to learn what came before the United States.
You might also give them books on figures not generally associated with the holiday. Books can introduce women and people of different ancestry than the Europeans — those who have given so much to the development of the world but are largely forgotten.
Creating a special holiday year-round
The Fourth of July doesn’t have to be a show of blind patriotism. It can be a time to come together as a family and celebrate the United States while also exploring contributions and shortcomings in an age-appropriate way.
Your child wants to spend time with you most of all, and each gift on the list gives you a chance to bond and create memories together. The interaction helps children feel safe, develop a sense of self, and begin to understand more about the world around us.
The Fourth of July is an important holiday for the United States, and you can go beyond fireworks and cheap streamers to build a lifelong set of memories. Honor the memory of our founders in the best way — by igniting a love of learning and a love of family.
