Looking for some easy and fun 4th of July crafts to do with your kids? I’ve got three easy crafts you and your kids can complete. Read more to find out how to make a firecracker painting, banner, and paper stars!
Firecracker Painting
While this 4th of July may not have many fireworks in the sky, you can help your family get in the spirit with some festive 4th of July crafts that will help you remember what they look like…and best of all, the kids can help! Use these to decorate a paper tablecloth, placemats, or to make and hang up inside the house. You could also precut paper to make a banner and then have your kids stamp the panels. The possibilities are endless! It’s an easy activity for kids to do with minimal supervision. I enjoyed watching the creativity and seeing the end result. If you are hosting a 4th of July party, this would be a great “activity station” to set up for kids.
Supplies:
Cardboard tubes / paper rolls
Paint (we used acrylic)
Paper to paint on
Paper plates
Scissors
Optional: Glitter (did someone say glitter?)
Directions:
1. Make cuts along one edge of your cardboard tube. You can vary the widths and lengths of the cuts to make different designs. We made some thick and some thin, and even added some points to the ends. Carefully fray the edges out so they can be stamped as shown below.
2. Squeeze out paint onto paper plates. We stuck with traditional red, white and blue colors, but feel free to use any color paint you have on hand. Fireworks come in all different colors!
3. Dip the firework stampers onto the paint, and then carefully stamp the design on paper.
4. Layer the different paint colors however you’d like.( We tried not to mix the stampers with different colored paint.)
5. If you are using glitter, you can either mix the glitter into the paint before you start, or sprinkle it on while the paint is drying. If you’ve got some heavy handed glitter lovers in your family, shake a little glitter into the palm of their hand. Have them pinch a small amount and sprinkle it over their fireworks.
6. Let dry, and then admire your creations! (And give yourself a pat on the back for allowing your kids to use glitter – outdoors of course!)
Happy 4th of July Banner
Banners are one of my party decorating staples — you can customize them to fit any holiday. Incorporate specific colors, themes or designs, and they announce the occasion you are celebrating. Who doesn’t love a cute banner? Make this red, white, and blue banner out of paint chips you’d find at a hardware store! 
Supplies:
Paint chips – total of 17 paint chips sized at least 3.5”H x 2.25”W
4th of July banner PDF (you’ll want to change the print settings to ‘Fit to printable area’)
Scissors
Paper puncher
String
Glue
Tape
Directions:
1. Pick up some paint chips from your local paint store. You will need a total of 17 paint chips. I used two different colors: 8 blue ones, and 9 red ones. I suggest if you want the correct hue of blue and red, you not send your husband to the store to pick them out for you! These are not what I was envisioning when I pictured red and blue like you’d find on the American flag.
2. Print out the 4th of July banner PDF on white paper or white cardstock. Cut out the letters and stars. I happen to have an electronic cutting machine that I used for this project, so I didn’t have to cut out anything by hand.
3. Glue the letters onto the paint chips, alternating the paint chip colors. Arrange the stars on the paint chips separating each word.
4. Use a paper puncher to punch the top corners of each paint chip, and then weave string through the holes to attach your banner. I find it helpful to put a little piece of tape on the back of each paint chip, securing the string to the paper. This prevents each paint chip from sliding around.
Happy 4th of July!
4th of July Paper Stars
Here’s a pretty paper craft that makes a star! If you don’t have colored paper, you can decorate a plain piece of white paper with red and blue lines, polka dots, stars, whatever design you can imagine. It’ll produce a unique design once it’s all finished. You may need to help little ones tape their star points together. 
Supplies:
5 square pieces of paper
Tape or glue (tape is easier)
Stapler
Scissors
Makes 1 paper star
Directions:
1. Cut five of the same sized squares from your paper.
If your paper is rectangular, you can easily make it into a square shape by folding one side into a diagonal, and then trimming off the bottom portion. (see photo below)
2. Fold each square into a triangle.
3. Fold each square into a triangle again.
4. Pick up each triangle (or stack the same sized ones together) and make sure the folded sides are on the bottom and the right side. Cut a small square out of the corner where the folded sides meet.
5. Cut straight lines from the bottom edge to the right edge of the triangle, but stopping just before you get to the end. Repeat the process on all of the remaining triangles, making sure that the cuts are equal on all the triangles.
6. Open up all the triangles.
7. Starting in the center, overlap the two corners and tape to adhere.
8. Flip your square over, and then overlap the next two corners and tape to adhere.
9. Repeat the process of flipping over your square and taping the corners until you are finished.
10. Arrange your star points to resemble a star.
11. Staple or tape each star point to the one next to it. You can either staple it where you where you applied your tape, or staple the pointed ends together (the center of the star). Tape or adjust as necessary.
12. Tape or thread string through one of the star points if you wish to hang it. You can also display it by laying it flat on a table.
My kiddos enjoyed working on these projects with me this week. I hope you have fun working on these crafts and getting into the spirit of Independence Day!
