These 4^th of July party ideas will help you throw the best Independence Day celebration for your family! We’ve compiled a list of easy recipes, family activities, and homemade decorations that kids can craft ahead of time. This fourth of July, you deserve to have some red, white, and blue fun and spend quality time with family. The best party has simple cookout fare, kid-friendly snacks, yard games, and lawn chairs to enjoy the sun. Try some of these 4^th of July party ideas below and have a day of family fun!

4^th of July Party Recipes

Celebrate this Independence Day with the best and easiest party food recipes!

Red, White, and Blue Baked Feta Pasta

We all remember the infamous baked feta pasta TikTok recipe. This patriotic twist on a viral favorite will even make kids excited about eating their fruits and vegetables. For this recipe, you’ll need:

• Penne Pasta
• Feta cheese block
• Red cherry tomatoes
• Purple sweet potato, cubed
• Basil leaves
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Olive Oil

Put cherry tomatoes into a baking pan. Add a block of feta cheese in the middle. Drizzle and cover everything with olive oil. Then sprinkle oregano and basil leaves. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Make sure the cheese has browned and the tomatoes are soft before taking out. Cook pasta according to package directions and add to the baking dish. Mix well and serve! This colorful 4^th of July pasta dish will be a huge hit with adults and kids.

Patriotic Charcuterie Board

Mix up a meat and cheese snack tray that celebrates America’s birthday with flair! Kids love to snack so this charcuterie board is sure to entice and appease even the youngest littles. For this tray you’ll need:

• Watermelon
• Cheddar cheese
• White cheddar cheese
• Small star cookie cutter
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Red pepper
• Salami
• Blue corn chips
• Salsa
• Hummus
• White-chocolate covered pretzels

Sprinkle a horizontal row of food in this order across the board: strawberries, blueberries, white chocolate pretzels, Red pepper strips, white cheddar cheese slices, blackberries, corn chips. Leave room among the rows to add two small bowls, one for salsa and one for hummus. At the corners of your board, leave a little room and create roses out of salami! To make these, drape round salami slices over a wine glass rim. Offset your layers. Then turn the glass over onto the board and remove to reveal a salami-petal rose!

Cut the watermelon and cheddar cheese into stars using the shape cutter. Add those star shapes on top of the food rows as star-spangled decorations.

Kids will love this snack-tastic meat and cheese board they can enjoy all fourth of July long!

Tortilla Hack Wrap

This tortilla wrap hack also went viral on TikTok and makes meal prep so easy! To make this 4^th of July taco wrap you’ll need:

• Large tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Taco meat
• Blue corn chips
• Tomatoes
• Salsa
• Sour cream

Cook the taco meat and put aside. Cut a slit down one-fourth of the tortilla. You’ll divide the tortilla into fourths when you add your fillings. Put taco meat in one fourth, cheese in one fourth, blue corn chips in one fourth, and sliced tomatoes in the last fourth. Add salsa and sour cream on top. Starting with the area you cut, fold the tortilla three times until it’s layered into a triangle. Fry the tortilla wrap on both sides until browned and enjoy. This simple and delicious meal is perfect for little kids to eat on-the-go as they play outside.

 Campfire S’mores on a Stick

Nothing makes a family get together more fun than ooey gooey s’mores! This fun twist on a classic summer treat makes it easier to eat. You can also take it with you mess-free as you chat and play with family. For this 4^th of July dessert recipe you’ll need:

• Marshmallows
• Graham cracker
• Milk chocolate baking wafers
• Skewer sticks

First, roast your marshmallows over a backyard fire or oven flame. Let them cool. Put them on a skewer and dip them into melted milk chocolate. Then roll the marshmallows in crushed graham cracker. Place on parchment paper to dry. These s’mores on a stick are a kid-friendly dessert that deliciously kicks off summer celebrations.

4^th of July Party Games

Here are a few patriotic games to enjoy this summertime holiday.

4^th of July Trivia Game

Split your family into two teams and play a patriotic trivia game! Before the party, try introducing fun facts about American history to your kids, so they can prepare in advance for the trivia questions. Here are some questions you can ask: How many strips are on the American flag? Who signed the Declaration of Independence? Who was the first president of the United States? Can you sing the first verse of “America the Beautiful”? Where is the White House located? What country gave us the Statue of Liberty?

Star-Spangled Bean Bag Toss

Bean bag toss, also known as cornhole, is an exciting party game that even young children can play. To make this game more patriotic, paint a red star over the top hole, a white star over the middle hole, and a blue star over the bottom hole. The red star is 5 points, the white star 4 points, and the blue star 3 points. Bags that land on the board are 1 point. Play up to 50 points—the number of stars on the American flag.

American Flag Musical Chairs

This fourth of July game is perfect for kids of all ages and replaces the chairs with American flags. Stick small American flags into the ground. Play patriotic music—we love the Hamilton soundtrack!—and when the music stops, try to grab a flag from the ground where you are standing. The person without a flag is out!

4^th of July Children’s Crafts and Decorations

Get inspired with these children’s crafts and activities!

4^th of July Craft: Paper Cup Patriotic Hats

Create a handmade hat that kids can wear at the Independence Day bash! For this craft you’ll need red paper cups, paper plates, colorful ribbon, and string. First, glue the red cup upside down onto the middle of a paper plate. Curl both sides of the paper plate up, to look like a brimmed hat. Add ribbon around the cup. Attach strip to either side of the paper plate. Kids can wear their patriotic hat with pride!

Confetti Popper Craft

Recycle your plastic bottles and turn them into a 4^th of July confetti popper! For this craft, we recommend using dissolvable confetti—if popping outside to help the environment—or pop inside so you can clean up the paper afterward. You’ll need a water bottle, scissors, a balloon, tape, and confetti. Cut off the top from a water bottle and discard the body. Put masking tape around the cut edge of the bottle, so the sharp edges won’t hurt kids. Put a balloon over the mouth of the bottle. Pour confetti into the bottle so it goes into the balloon. Pull the balloon and release to let the confetti fly! This easy 4^th of July craft for kids is so fun and noise free.

Flying Rocket Lantern

Help kids make a firework rocket of their own they can fly across the air! For this craft, you’ll need a toilet paper roll, a craft stick, ribbon, and construction paper. Cover the toilet paper roll with construction paper and tape or glue it in place. Decorate the roll with stars, stripes, glitter, and stickers. Fold a piece of construction paper into a cone and attach to the top of the toilet paper roll. This is the top of your rocket. Glue ribbon strands to the bottom of the roll. Pierce the craft stick into the middle of the toilet paper roll. Kids can hold onto the stick and fly their rocket across the sky!

Resources:

https://www.parents.com/holiday/july-4th/fourth-of-july-party-ideas/?slide=slide_3c42ba8d-c3a5-4302-82c0-7d081fa1b91e#slide_3c42ba8d-c3a5-4302-82c0-7d081fa1b91e