Easy Fourth of July Crafts for Kids

Cookie Cutter Stamping ~ A Classic 4th of July Craft

Printing with cookie cutters is a classic kids craft. It’s quick and easy making it a perfect activity for little fingers. I love all the fun/unique shapes cookie cutters come in. You can find one for just about any occasion. The kids hadso much fun making simple Shamrock prints that we decided to make a patriotic version. Check out these simple star shaped prints, perfect for your 4th of July party.

Materials for our Easy Fourth of July Crafts for Kids

Red, White and Blue Paint
Star Cookie Cutters
Paper plate ~ or flat surface for the paint

The kids had so much fun with this simple activity.

This is one of those times that double dipping is encouraged.

For more simple 4th of July activities, check out our:

Simple Paper Cut American Flag

Handmade Toys ~ Button Spinners

Red, White and Blue M&M Cookies

Homemade Toys ~ Button Spinner

Homemade Toys ~ Button Spinner made from Recycled Material

Ready for a simple blast from the past? Today I made easy Buttons Spinners with the kids, and they were a huge hit! I seriously can’t believe that this is the first time that we have made a set together. I have fond memories of building these little handmade toys while spending the day at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Grandma had a large button collection and that I loved sifting and sorting. Read on to find out how easy these little handmade toys are to make.

I love creating with the kids, especially when I don’t have to make a trip to the store for a special ingredient. If you are like me, then these little button spinners are perfect. You probably have everything at home already. Love that!

Kids have been playing with homemade button spinners for years. So the concept is nothing new. However, we added out own little twist. I combined my obsession with sharpies and using recycled materials to make a super cool 4th of July Spinner. How fun is that?!?

Ready for the simple list of materials?

To make a Button Spinner, you will need:

Large Button
String ~ most any thin string/yarn will work. However, we used a wax covered string that made it a little easier for the kids.
Milk Jug or similar plastic from your recycle bin
Colorful Sharpies or permanent markers
Hot Glue Glue
Craft foam ~ (optional) to make handles

How to make a Button Spinner

They are super easy to put together. To create the traditional spinner…simply thread the string through 2 of the button holes, tie a knot and your all set.

To create our Colorful Button Spinner.

Simply cut a circle from a milk jug (about 3″ in diameter) and color with sharpies. Next, cut a circle out of the center of the plastic (just smaller than your button). We only colored one side of our plastic, since you could see the kids designs from both sides. Finally, hot glue the colorful plastic onto the button, thread the string through 2 of the button holes, tie a knot and your done! Quick and easy.

To add handles

The string can make little fingers sore, so we chose to add simple foam handles. Simply cut little rectangles of craft foam, folded it over the string and then hot glue in place. Easy Peasy. Just make sure that the handles are spaced an equal distance apart.

Holding the string in each hand, twirl your spinner until the string is pretty tight. Stretch the string out and pull to make the button spin. Pull hard stretching and then relaxing the string by moving your hands close together and then apart. This takes practice to keep it going, but once it does it’s really cool! The kids loved the little zinging noise it made as it spun around.

Seriously, could it be any easier? Perfect for your 4th of July Party.

For more simple toys you can make with your kids, check out our:

Popsicle Stick Harmonicas

DIY Paper Climber

Balloon Powered Car

DIY Duct Tape Hobby Horse

Recycled Bubble Blower

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

My kids Favorite Recipe for M&M Cookies

I will choose a cookie over cake any day. There is something about the smell/taste of a cookie fresh out of the oven, gooey and still warm. Yummy! I am debating making a batch right now. Although if I did, I may never get around to sharing this amazing M&M Cookie recipe with you. OK…my craving can wait;)

These little M&M cookies and me have a special history. This is the first recipe that I ever asked a friends mom for (I was in grade school at the time). It also was the first recipe that I added to my own recipe box. You know its a good recipe, when they are still one of my favorite cookie after all these years. Over the years I have made a few changes, but basically they are the same cookies that I grew up making.

Since 4th of July is right around the corner, we chose to make this batch all Red, White and Blue. I love that M&M’s come in a wide variety of colors.

M&M Cookie INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Butter
1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups M&M’s

M&M Cookies INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream brown sugar, white sugar and butter.
Next, add the eggs, and vanilla making sure everything is well mixed.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined
Finally, stir in the M&M’s.
Roll into balls, flatten slightly and place an extra M&M into the top of each cookie.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. These are the type of cookie that you want to be slightly under baked. Let them stand for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. This will help the cookies hold their shape.

Simple tip to keep your cookies from spreading:

If you are finding that your cookies are spreading out too far, there is an easy way to correct it. The best part is…its not the recipe;) All you need to do is refrigerate your dough for about 5 minutes before baking. This will re-solidify the fats and stop your cookies from over spreading. Easy!

For more yummy recipes, check out our:

Frozen Yogurt Dots

Healthy Dehydrated Fruit

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Watermelon and Lime Smoothie

Simple American Flag Craft for Kids

Patriotic crafts for kids ~ Simple American Flag Craft

Are you looking for a simple craft perfect for July 4th or Memorial day? Check out this simple American flag craft. It’s a perfect way to sneak in a little scissor skill practice, and create something adorable for your fridge. Plus all you need is 5 minutes and a few simple supplies. Love that!

Could the bottom 2 flags be any cuter?

Full sheets of paper can be tricky for little ones maneuver with scissors in hand. Often I will cut the paper into more manageable sizes, depending on the project. Although as you can see, this little cutie was doing just fine.

If your little one loves cutting, then you may want to try our simple circle rainbows, our adorable counting carrots activity and my favorite…silly spring chicks.

I also have a bin with scraps of paper, newspapers, old magazines etc set aside just for cutting. Some kids what to find pretty images to cut out, and others will be content cutting paper into teeny tiny pieces. Either way they are learning valuable fine motor skills that you want to encourage.

American Flag Materials:

Red, blue and white construction paper
Glue
Scissors
White paint
Q-tips

The kids started but cutting long strips of red paper. They glued them onto the paper to make simple stripes. Then they cut and glued on a blue rectangle. Easy peasy. Finally the kids made stars by dipping a q-tip into white paint and dotting. Quick and simple!

For more Patriotic crafts, check out our:

Fireworks in a Bottle

Poppies

Pretend Play Tea Party

Sensory Activities for Toddlers ~ Pretend Play Tea Party

If your kids are anything like mine, they love any excuse to have a Tea Party. Dressing up and pretending to be somewhere far away…an enchanted castle, fairy garden or an imaginative land. Ready to whisk your little prince or princess off on a fun imaginary ride? Check out our simple sensory activities for toddlers, and the best part is…it is free!

As I set up a little table in the back yard, the girls got all decked out in their special outfits.

According to my kids, you can’t have a tea party with out the proper princess attire.

Unlike our usual tea parties, todays began with a bag of shredded paper. Yep thats right…a bag of our recycling. Seriously, who would have thought that recycling could be so fun.

I simply emptied the shredded paper into a large bin, and set out the tea set.

The easiest Tea Party set up ever!

Immediately the kids dove right in…creating imaginative cups of tea overflowing with paper.

The pom-pom cherries were my favorite addition.

Sparkles, sparkles and more sparkles. Love it!

Our little shredded paper tea party was a smashing success! The kids LOVED it!

When the girls had drank they fill of tea, they ended with a friendly paper fight.

I mean really…who can resist a bin full of paper…not my girls!

The kids had so much fun, and I have to admit I had a blast joining in as well.

Sensory activities for toddlers and kiddos are so important. I love that this simple activity requires no recipe, and is totally free (you just need to raid the recycle bin).