Pickup Bottles

This pickup bottle activity is a fun and engaging outdoor games for kids. To play:

1. Fill empty bottles with colored sand or small beads.
2. Attach a metal ring or a Mason jar lid to a long string that reaches the ground.
3. Secure the other end of the string to a wooden stick or dowel.
4. Place Hula-Hoops on the ground and set one bottle on its side in the center of each hoop.

The goal is for players to use the stick to stand the bottles upright.

Edmund Barr

Patriotic Scavenger Hunt

For a festive and fun 4th of July game, organize a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood or backyard. Make a list of patriotic items for players to find, such as objects in red, white, and blue; a nickel to honor Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the Declaration of Independence; and miniature American flags.

Kate Mathis

Giant Tic-Tac-Toe

Create a jumbo tic-tac-toe game using a burlap square and bean bags. This simple game is perfect for the beach or backyard, keeping little ones entertained while they await fireworks. Add a patriotic touch by outlining the game board with red or blue duct tape.

David Tsay

Red, White, and Blue Tag

After enjoying the dessert table, kids can burn off extra energy with a game of red, white, and blue tag. Depending on the group size, choose two to four kids as "it." Other players select a token in red, white, or blue (such as leis, ribbons, or poker chips). When "it" tags a player, the player gives up their token. The winner is the first "it" to collect a token in each color.

Dana Gallagher

American Sand Castles

Spending the 4th of July on the beach? Celebrate by building sandcastles. Use red, white, and blue sand, American flags, and colored shells to decorate your creations. Remind kids to leave only natural items on the beach and to take everything else home after playtime.

Jason Lindsey

Time to Race

Old-fashioned races can offer plenty of fun and laughter. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Potato Sack Race: Revive the classic potato sack race for your Fourth of July celebration. Use red, white, and blue garbage bags for a festive touch, or decorate your potato sacks with flag or Statue of Liberty images. Line up the participants and let them hop toward the finish line.
• Abraham Lincoln Spoon Race: This game is named in honor of one of our nation's leaders. Divide the kids into two teams, and set a starting point and finish line. At the starting line, provide a bowl of pennies and two spoons (one per team); place an empty bowl for each team at the finish line. One player from each team races to move as many pennies as possible to the finish line without dropping any. Dropped pennies must be collected and returned to the spoon before continuing. The first team to transfer all pennies wins.
• Flag Relay: Fill two buckets with sand and insert small American flags, one per participant. At the start, split the kids into two teams, each forming a single line. On your signal, the first player races to grab a flag and safely marches back. The next player in line starts only after the previous one returns. The first team to collect all their flags wins.

Gretchen Easton

Decorated Bikes

Let your kids have the best-looking bikes in the neighborhood by decorate them before the big parade. Provide streamers, stickers, tinsel, garlands, and flags for them to use creatively. Ensure an adult is available to help attach decorations to avoid any potential safety hazards like fingers getting stuck in the bike chains.

David Roth

Festive Yard Bowling

Transform old soup cans by painting them with red, white, and blue colors or covering them with strips of duct tape. Set up a 4th of July craft station where kids can customize their cans. Arrange the decorated cans in a pyramid for a fun game of yard bowling. This budget-friendly DIY game costs only a few dollars yet delivers hours of entertainment at your party.

Perry L. Struse

Friendly Competition

Encourage friendly competition with these engaging contests, and remember to have patriotic prizes ready for the winners.

• Hula-Hoop Contest: Invite participants to see who can hula-hoop the longest. The last person spinning wins.
• Baseball-Throwing Contest: Celebrate America's pastime in your 4th of July celebration. The competitor who throws the baseball the farthest wins. Monitor distances at a park with an adult for accuracy.
• Tug-of-War Contest: Form two teams to compete by pulling opposite ends of a rope. Create three knots in the middle and mark a line on the ground; the team that pulls the center knot across the line wins.